1Íkala, Revista de Lenguaje y Cultura
Medellín, C oloMbia, V ol. 29 issue 1 (January-april, 2024), pp. 1-19, issn 0123-3432
www.udea.edu.co/ikala
Carmen Pérez-Sabater
Associate Professor, Universitat
Politècnica de València, Spain.
cperezs@idm.upv.es
https://orcid.
org/0000-0002-8475-6790
Enrique Cerezo Herrero
Assistant Professor, Universitat de
València, Spain.
enrique.cerezo@uv.es
https://orcid.
org/0000-0002-4617-3287
Inmaculada Barbasán Ortuño
Lecturer, Universitat Politècnica de
València, Spain.
inbaror@upvnet.upv.es
https://orcid.
org/0000-0002-9038-1905
Abstract
The interweaving of in-person and online teaching at the university level requires the
implementation of new resources that allow the coexistence of these two forms of
education. To address this issue, we designed a pedagogical intervention that in-
corporated TikTok and FlipGrid in three courses (two in English and one in Italian)
in an engineering program at a university in Spain. Then, we undertook a qualitative
study geared towards the collection of data through surveys and recordings of three
feedback sessions. The analysis of these data shows that the use of short videos for
speaking practice is motivating and enriching in all the study groups and in both
languages. However, although no doubts are expressed regarding the suitability
of FlipGrid for academic purposes, the participants do not consider the use of
TikTok appropriate at university. In addition, the comparison between languages,
and therefore levels, indicates that Italian A2 learners prize TikTok over FlipGrid
for oral production more so than do English B2 students. Our findings bring to
the fore the potential of short video recordings and the need to link the academic and
social contexts by means of social networking applications such as TikTok and Flip-
Grid in order to create a more well-rounded educational experience.
Keywords: higher education, language learning, video recordings, TikTok, Flip-
Grid, oral production
Resumen
La mezcla de enseñanza presencial y online en el ámbito universitario demanda
la implementación de nuevos recursos que permitan la coexistencia de estas dos
formas de enseñanza. Para abordar esta cuestión, diseñamos una intervención pe-
dagógica que incorporó TikTok y FlipGrid en tres cursos (dos en inglés y uno
en italiano) de un programa de ingeniería en una universidad de España. Poste-
riormente, se llevó a cabo un estudio cualitativo con el objetivo de obtener datos
Tiktok/Flipgrid for Foreign Language
Learning in Higher Education: A Case
Study
Tiktok y Flipgrid para el aprendizaje de lenguas extranjeras en la educación
superior. un estudio de caso
Tiktok et Flipgrid pour apprendre une langue étrangère à l’éducation
supérieure : une étude de cas
Tiktok e Flipgrid para a aprendizagem de uma língua estrangeira no ensino
superior: um estudo de caso
Received: 2023-05-02 / Accepted: 2023-09-25 / Published: 2023-12-04
https://doi.org/10.17533/udea.ikala.353501
Editor: Doris Correa, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellin, Colombia.
Copyright, Universidad de Antioquia, 2023. This is an open access article, distributed in compliance with the terms of the
Creative Commons license by-nc-sa 4.0 International.

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mediante encuestas y tres sesiones de feedback. El análisis de estos datos muestra
que el uso de vídeos cortos para la práctica oral resulta motivador y enriquecedor
en todos los grupos de estudio y en ambos idiomas. Sin embargo, aunque no se
expresan dudas sobre la idoneidad de FlipGrid para fines académicos, los parti-
cipantes no consideran apropiado el uso de TikTok en la universidad. Además, la
comparación entre lenguas, y por tanto niveles, indica que los estudiantes de italia-
no A2 valoran más TikTok que FlipGrid para la producción oral que los estudiantes
de inglés B2. Nuestros resultados ponen de relieve el potencial de la grabación de
vídeos cortos y la necesidad de vincular los contextos académico y social mediante
aplicaciones de redes sociales como TikTok y FlipGrid para crear una experiencia
educativa más completa.
Palabras clave: educación superior, aprendizaje de lenguas, grabaciones de video,
TikTok, FlipGrid, producción oral
Résumé
L’imbrication de l’enseignement en personne et en ligne au niveau universitaire né-
cessite la mise en œuvre de nouvelles ressources qui permettent la coexistence de ces
deux formes d’enseignement. Pour répondre à cette question, nous avons conçu
une intervention pédagogique intégrant TikTok et FlipGrid dans trois cours (deux en
anglais et un en italien) d’un programme d’ingénierie dans une université espa-
gnole. Ensuite, une étude qualitative a été réalisée pour obtenir des données par le
biais d'enquêtes et de trois sessions de retour d'information. L’analyse de ces don-
nées montre que l’utilisation de courtes vidéos pour l’entraînement à l’expression
orale est motivante et enrichissante dans tous les groupes d’étude et dans les deux
langues. Cependant, bien qu’aucun doute ne soit exprimé quant à la pertinence
de FlipGrid à des fins académiques, les participants ne considèrent pas l’utilisa-
tion de TikTok comme appropriée à l’université. En outre, la comparaison entre
les langues, et donc entre les niveaux, indique que les apprenants italiens A2 pré-
fèrent TikTok à FlipGrid pour la production orale, plus que les étudiants anglais
B2. Nos résultats mettent en évidence le potentiel des enregistrements vidéo de
courte durée et la nécessité de relier les contextes académique et social au moyen
d’applications de réseautage social telles que TikTok et FlipGrid afin de créer une
expérience éducative plus complète.
Mots clef : enseignement supérieur, apprentissage des langues, enregistrements
vidéo, TikTok, FlipGrid, production orale, apprentissage des langues
Resumo
O entrelaçamento do ensino presencial e on-line em nível universitário exige a
implementação de novos recursos que permitam a coexistência dessas duas formas
de educação. Para abordar essa questão, projetamos uma intervenção pedagógica
que incorporou o TikTok e o FlipGrid em três cursos (dois em inglês e um em
italiano) em um programa de engenharia em uma universidade na Espanha. Con-
sequentemente, foi realizado um estudo qualitativo para obter dados por meio
de pesquisas e três sessões de feedback. A análise desses dados mostra que o uso de
vídeos curtos para a prática da fala é motivador e enriquecedor em todos os grupos
de estudo e em ambos os idiomas. No entanto, embora não haja dúvidas quanto
à adequação do FlipGrid para fins acadêmicos, os participantes não consideram
o uso do TikTok apropriado na universidade. Além disso, a comparação entre os
idiomas e, portanto, entre os níveis, indica que os alunos de italiano A2 valorizam
mais o TikTok do que o FlipGrid para a produção oral do que os alunos de inglês

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B2. Nossas descobertas trazem à tona o potencial da gravação de vídeos curtos e
a necessidade de vincular os contextos acadêmico e social por meio de aplicativos
de redes sociais, como o TikTok e o FlipGrid, a fim de criar uma experiência edu-
cacional mais completa.
Palavras chave: ensino superior, aprendizado de idiomas, gravações de vídeo, Tik-
Tok, FlipGrid, produção oral, aprendizado de idiomas

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online teaching by the university where this educa-
tional project was carried out. Both video exchange
platforms have recently been created: TikTok in
2016 and FlipGrid in 2014. Exploring the char-
acteristics, affordances, norms, and user behaviour
of new social networks entails studying whether
they are adequate for purposes that go beyond
communication between people (Locher et al.,
2015), in our case, the creation of a dynamic and
collaborative learning environment. This need is
even more pressing on foreign language courses,
given the importance attached to communication
and the need to partly compensate for the absence
of face-to-face interaction in the classroom (García-
Ponce et al., 2023; Mas García, 2020; Ziegler &
González-Lloret, 2022).
The work we present here seeks to address this
gap: the absence of sound empirical-grounded
studies on the practicing of oral skills through social
networks and video exchange platforms. The work
provides data on teaching experiences in the West
at the university level and incorporates a language
other than English. As Manca (2020) underscores,
in the research field of learning and technology,
we need to go beyond the limits established and
broaden the learning environments in which a
specific communication platform is used and the
geographic area where it can normally be found;
in the case of TikTok, this is China and the
whole of Asia. On the Internet, the visual aspect
of communication is becoming more and more
prominent, especially amongst young Internet
users (González-Lloret, 2021). The above-men-
tioned author claims that future research should
focus on very popular image/video sharing social
networking platforms such as TikTok for lan-
guage learning.
To address this objective and research gap, the
research questions which we sought to respond to
in the current study were as follows:
Q1: What perception do students have of TikTok and
FlipGrid in improving linguistic competences in a
foreign language (fl)?
Introduction
As with any pandemic throughout history, the 2020
covid-19 pandemic brought about significant
changes at a social level (Moreno-Guerrero et al.,
2021), with education being one of the fields most
severely impacted by such changes. All universities
worldwide migrated from an in-person teaching
model to a hybrid system, which required both
teachers and students to adapt (e.g., Dhawan, 2020;
González-Lloret et al., 2021). Since then, instruc-
tional activities have become much more hybrid,
and university teaching has been transformed with
a huge amount of online learning taking place
(Adedoyin & Soykan, 2023; García Ponce et al.,
2023). Consequently, online lectures cannot be a
mirrored reflection of in-class lectures transferred
to the online classroom. Rather, the courses have
to be redesigned with active learning models in
line with the course assessment criteria, which also
need to be adapted accordingly. In this context, the
current article seeks to analyse the use of TikTok
and FlipGrid–two tools employed for exchang-
ing short videos–as potential resources to practise
oral expression in the foreign language classroom
in engineering degrees. This experiment was car-
ried out in the academic year 2021-22 with three
groups (two English B2 groups and one Italian A2
group) that followed a hybrid teaching model.
TikTok is a proprietary video sharing social net-
work created in China (Barrot, 2021), which in recent
years, and especially during the health crisis provoked
by covid-19, has gained significant popularity
amongst people other than younger children and
youth audiences (Ballesteros Herencia, 2020). It
ranks among the most extensively utilised applications
globally. According to the internet statistics portal
DataReportal (2023), in April 2023, TikTok had
834.3 million monthly users all over the world, and
was available in more than 150 countries and 75
languages (Ballesteros Herencia, 2020). In April
2023, the length of videos was extended to a max-
imum of 10 minutes. FlipGrid, on the other hand,
is an application used for sharing short videos on
Microsoft’s Teams platform. Indeed, it is employed for

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Q2: How has the use of these tools contributed to the
acquisition of the fl?
Q3: To what extent has the use of these two social net-
works reinforced feelings of a learning community in
an online context?
The following section presents an overview of out-
standing publications on foreign language learning
and TikTok/FlipGrid. Then, we address how the
methodology and the study have been under-
taken. Subsequently, a rendering of the findings
gathered is offered, followed by a brief discussion
and an outline of certain implications that the
results have regarding teaching. The article comes
to an end with some concluding remarks as well
as some follow-up investigations which have the
potential to open up new research avenues.
Theoretical Framework
Many studies have brought the need to introduce
digital technology into the language classroom to the
fore (García-Ponce et al., 2023; Hubbard, 2022;
Ziegler & González-Lloret, 2022). Specifically,
the application of social networks in foreign lan-
guage teaching and learning has been studied in
depth over the last decade in different educational
contexts and geographic areas (e.g., García Ponce et
al., 2023; Pérez-Sabater & Montero-Fleta, 2015;
Rosón Jiménez & Losada Iglesias, 2020; Ziegler
& González-Lloret, 2022). Recently, the compi-
lations by Reinhardt (2019) and Barrot (2021)
have offered data on the use of Facebook, Twitter,
YouTube, and WhatsApp in this order of relevance.
The results of these publications also reveal some
other interesting facts: (a) in general, these social
networks increase students’ satisfaction with learn-
ing, interaction, collaboration, and the betterment
of knowledge of the target language; (b) these exper-
iments have mainly dealt with learning experiences
in higher education (59.3%) and the learning
of English (68.9%); (c) most users of these net-
works are university-aged students (18-24) who
know and have a good command of the networks,
which promotes a greater acceptance of these
applications in the foreign language classroom as
motivating tools or tools with edutainment pur-
poses. According to Barrot (2021), edutainment
(Hogle, 1996) is a form of entertainment based
on the idea that one teaches better if the students
are enjoying themselves in the classroom–a con-
cept originally linked with childhood education
through electronic games and video games (Okan,
2003). Social networks, therefore, promote the
blurring of the distinction between learning
spaces, social relations, and recreation (Manca,
2020).
Conversely, social networks hold great pedagogi-
cal value for the development of communication
skills, and thus their integration into the foreign
language classroom contributes to propelling the
active use of the language (Antenos-Conforti,
2009; Reinhardt, 2019). In this sense, the com-
municative model proposed by Canale and Swain
in the 1980s set a new course in language teaching
(Canale, 1983; Canale & Swain, 1980). The said
model not only advocates for a linguistic com-
petence per se, but also for a sociolinguistic and,
above all, strategic competence that would allow
students to implement metacognitive and meta-
linguistic strategies in the creation, monitoring/
controlling, and review/self-correction of the
message (Pakula, 2019).
Twenty years later, the Common European
Framework of Reference for Languages ratified
this new didactic concept upon establishing that
the communicative skill was comprised of three
competences: the linguistic, sociolinguistic, and
pragmatic competences. In this way, the oral
expression skill started to be considered a skill of
utmost importance in the learning processes of a
foreign language (Lazaraton, 2014; Pakula, 2019).
This change in perspective has arrived along
with current theories of a sociocultural type, which
postulate that social interaction is a fundamen-
tal element for learning. Indeed, interaction with
others is considered a key component in the con-
struction of one’s knowledge of the language (Ma
lihah, 2010; Pakula, 2019), so much so that the

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majority of poststructuralist methods consider
the oral expression ability to be the main skill in
foreign language learning (Lazaraton, 2014). It
is for this reason that learning is not based exclu-
sively on the acquisition of the linguistic system,
strictly speaking, but also on efficient communi-
cative exchanges (Pakula, 2019), hence the need
to prioritise procedural learning as opposed to a
declarative type of learning.
The introduction of technology in the 1960s and
1970s also contributed significantly to the introduc-
tion of the oral expression skill into the classroom
and the compensating for the lack of practice oppor-
tunities outside its context (Albino, 2017; Bohlke,
2014; Newton, 2018). Likewise, the use of tech-
nology for oral practice allows for the creation of
a relaxed and safe environment where communica-
tive exchanges can be carried out (Bayhon Aranego,
2020). More specifically, recording short videos
may counteract fears and even motivate students
due to the active role they adopt in developing the
activity (Göktürk, 2016; Gromik, 2012; Herlisya &
Wiratno, 2022).
Moreover, unlike the fleetingness with which
activities are carried out in the classroom, the type
of activity in question entails an ideal space for
peer assessment and a more detailed evaluation of
both the content and the language since it allows
one to later view the interaction as many times
as necessary (Lazaraton, 2014). It is also an ideal
resource to lower the psychological guard which
many students put up with when having to speak
in public. Videos additionally require the students
to prepare beforehand (Hafner & Miller, 2011,
2021). In this sense, just as Goh (2007) points
out, the pre-activity preparation allows the stu-
dent to centre their attention on linguistic areas
that are not yet automatised and to make a more
polished and complete use of grammar and of the
language in general (Bohlke, 2014). In languages
for specific purposes, course designs including
video recording have been devised so that learn-
ers can experience the real English language of
scientists when discussing and writing about sci-
ence (Hafner & Miller, 2011, 2021).
Just as we had previously stated, social networks
have attracted the attention of research concern-
ing their use in foreign language classes, but little
has been published on learning and even less on
iconic social networks such as Instagram and
Pinterest (Manca, 2020). There exist far fewer rig-
orous studies on the star social network of the past
four years, TikTok, which was of special social rel-
evance during the 2020 lockdown (Ballesteros
Herencia, 2020).
Until 2020, we found no publications analys-
ing TikTok as an educational tool. Yang’s study
(2020) on its incorporation into the secondary
education English classroom in China reaches
the conclusion that TikTok motivates the student
to carry out activities guided by the teacher in
class and to continue with English language prac-
tice outside the classroom by accessing authentic
material published on this social network. For his
part, Bayhon Aranego (2020) has shown that par-
ticipation in TikTok challenges helps to reinforce
Filipino students’ confidence in their practicing of
oral English and is a motivating tool for first-year
undergraduates. Pratiwi et al. (2021) study the
positive attitude of eight Indonesian participants
towards TikTok for learning English. They con-
clude that this technical medium not only helps
students improve their pronunciation skills, but
also makes learning easy and fun.
Moreover, in Indonesia, Zaitun et al. (2021) exam-
ine what video students create on TikTok. The
results of this teaching experience also evince that
the activity improves students’ speaking skills.
Further, Ikhsanudin and Ali Purwoko (2022)
design a theoretical model for online speaking
activities with TikTok and other social media.
The theoretical evaluation of their proposal con
cludes that this social medium stimulates students’
creativity. In Malaysia, Herlisya and Wiratno
(2022) carry out an experiment with 20 stu-
dents consisting of the observation of videos on

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TikTok, concluding that the classroom atmo-
sphere improves and learning becomes fun.
In Spanish-speaking countries, there is an ever-
increasing interest in this tool for language learning.
For example, Espejel et al. (2022) explored the
opinions of students and pre-service teachers on
the affordances of TikTok as a foreign language/
L2 teaching and learning tool for learning Spanish
in higher education. The results of their survey
showed that TikTok may be incorporated into
the classroom as a diverse digital channel of mul-
timodal communication which can provide new
spaces for the creation and sharing of audio-visual
material.
Similarly, by means of a questionnaire and inter-
views, Rodríguez Medina et al. (2023) investigated
the opinions of university language teachers on the
introduction of TikTok in the classroom. Their
survey showed that more than 50% of the staff
interviewed would be keen on the incorporation
of TikTok into the learning environment pro-
vided a seminar about its functionality were offered.
However, despite the recent interest in this plat-
form, these studies do not address actual learning
experiments.
As for FlipGrid, McLain (2018) provided conclusive
quantitative results regarding the network’s adapta-
tion for practising oral skills in numerous Business
English classes in Korea. In Bartlett (2018), Flip
Grid’s own features were highlighted to connect
students in a sort of online forum for an online
course. Mango (2019) highlighted that students
perceive this tool as being useful for improving
oral comprehension and expression in second lan-
guages at university–in this case, Arabic.
The vast majority of the studies carried out so far,
despite providing useful insights into the use of Tik
Tok and FlipGrid for foreign language learning,
presented some methodological shortcomings
that might compromise the reliability and valid-
ity of the outcomes. These lacunae, acknowledged
by the authors themselves, affect several fronts.
To begin with, all of them were conducted with a
numerically limited sample. Additionally, they do
not compare the use of TikTok/FlipGrid to other
platforms so that their potential as learning plat-
forms can be fully gauged and their advantages
and disadvantages outlined. Finally, as most stud-
ies only featured one social platform, the results
presented were purely descriptive, thus lacking a
multivariate analysis which would make it possi-
ble to identify statistically significant differences
in favour or against the use of these platforms as
a teaching resource. As a result, the current study
sought to contribute to fulfilling this methodolog-
ical void and provide updated empirical data by
superseding the main limitations of prior research.
Method
The methodological design of this research con-
sisted of different in-class activities featuring
experiential learning and data collected through
surveys as well as data gathered through three fee-
dback sessions carried out at the end of the
instructive experience.
Participants
The sample was made up of students enrolled in the
courses English for Computing (B2), for students
majoring in computer engineering, English for
Academic and Professional Purposes (Level B2), for
the engineering in telecommunication services pro-
grammes, and Italian for Academic and Professional
Purposes (Level A2), which is a course open to all
majors of the university. It is worth noting that
according to the six-point scale (A1-C2) of The
Common European Framework of Reference
for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment
(cefr), A2 corresponds to basic user and B2 to
upper-intermediate language level (Council of
Europe, 2020).
The study included the participation of a total
of 217 students. Of these, 127 subjects used the
platform TikTok whilst the remaining 90 used
FlipGrid. Due to the fact that two of the groups

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were English language classes, the total participa-
tion number was greater for this language (n=133)
than for Italian (n=84). As for the participation
by schools, in the case of English, the School of
Telecommunication Engineering had more par-
ticipation (n=84), coinciding in number with
Italian (n=84), whilst in the School of Computer
Engineering the participation was lower (n=49).
In terms of gender, the participation was higher in
the case of men (n=145) than in women (n=72).
This asymmetry was due to the fact that the num-
ber of men in engineering programmes tends to be
higher than that of women. With respect to the
participants’ age, the vast majority were between
the ages of 19 and 22 (77.2%) whilst, for the age
range of 23 to 28, the total number decreased sig-
nificantly (9.5%). There were also six participants
who were 18 (10.5%) and one subject who was
34years old (1.75%). The sample had a wide degree of
homogeneity as far as nationality was concerned,
given that, save for five students from Germany,
China, Romania, Poland, and Venezuela, the rest
of the sample were Spanish.
Instruments and Techniques
In his study on incorporating short videos into the
English classroom, Gromik (2012) proposed
three instruments for obtaining data: viewing videos,
interviews, and questionnaires. Stemming from
this author’s work, in the current study we opted
for feedback sessions in place of interviews, which
allow us to expand on the results through direct
contact with the participating subjects.
The gathering of quantitative information was car-
ried out through two channels. The first of these
was a pre- and post-questionnaire with close-ended
questions which included sociodemographic vari-
ables (sex and degree enrolment), variables
describing the course (language and platform used),
learning assessment variables (competences and
specific abilities developed), and suitability of the
methodology used for language learning (assess-
ment of the learning results). It was an ad hoc
questionnaire developed by the research team. Both
versions of the said questionnaire were revised by
a group of six experts from the field of linguis-
tics and education. The modality for carrying out
the questionnaire was available online through the
platform Google Forms. The typology of ques-
tions corresponded to the Likert scale. In terms
of the second of these channels, the grades given
to each student throughout the teaching experi-
ence were registered with the objective of gauging
the effect that introducing this innovative practice
had, based on the previously-established variables.
In total, the students recorded six videos in pairs
on their assigned platform.
In order to complement the data obtained through
the surveys, a group feedback session was carried
out for each degree once the innovative activity
was completed. The objective of this was to see,
first-hand, the participants’ assessment of the use
of videos designed to help people work on oral
expression.
Procedure and Data Analysis
In line with Pérez-Sabater and Montero-Fleta (2015),
the research followed the phases detailed below:
1. Students filled out the initial questionnaire rela-
ted to the use and usefulness of social networks
in the classroom and the types of activities stu-
dents preferred for practising oral expression.
2. They opened individual accounts in the appli-
cation, TikTok or FlipGrid, and formed pairs
of students for work.
3. They followed instructions as to the prepa-
ration of the script and recordings’ themes,
which were related to topics seen in class, as
well as information about the length of the
videos (one minute or one minute and a half in
the case of FlipGrid) and other assessable aspects.
4. When carrying out the task, students recorded
a conversation between the pair of participants
in TikTok or FlipGrid and published the video.

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The topic proposed by the instructor, for ins-
tance, a work interview, was the main idea of
the video and was linked to the vocabulary and
grammatical structures of the learning units
worked on for each topic.
5. They viewed classmates’ videos and made com-
ments in the chat facility of the application.
6. Students reviewed the strong and weak points
of the recordings in class.
7. Professors assessed each student (recording and
comments to classmates). In the videos, the
following points were taken into account:
presentation (attitude, tone, originality, or crea-
tivity), content (whether it was interesting,
informative, whether it addressed the topic),
organisation (whether there was a sufficient
amount of information for the assigned time
limit), and linguistic correctness (grammar, lexical
choice, use of expressions, and pronunciation;
see Appendix).
8. Students voiced their opinions on the activity.
9. Students filled out the final questionnaire on using
TikTok or FlipGrid in foreign language classes:
opinions, attitude, and degree of satisfaction.
Feedback sessions were led by the same group pro-
fessor. One was held with the TikTok group and
another with the FlipGrid group. Prior to this ses-
sion, the research team met in order to lay out a
script and include the most interesting points
for research. The sessions were recorded through
Teams and later were transcribed with the objec-
tive of analysing the narrative produced by the
participants. Coding was undertaken as follows:
GR1_number of student (School of Telecommunica-
tions B2 English TikTok)
GR2_number of student (School of Telecommunica-
tions B2 English FlipGrid)
GR3_number of student (School of Computer Engi-
neering B2 English TikTok)
GR4_number of student (School of Computer Engi-
neering B2 English FlipGrid)
GR5_number of student (transversal Italian A2
TikTok)
GR6_number of student (transversal Italian A2
FlipGrid)
As for the data analysis, it was carried out quanti-
tatively using the statistics program spss. Firstly, a
descriptive analysis of the data was undertaken. For
the analysis of the variables used in the questionnaire,
given that they were of a categorical type, we com-
pared the averages using a Mann-Whitney U-Test.
In a supplementary way, a second statistical analy-
sis was undertaken with the grade variable (i.e., the
mark obtained on the task in the course). The average
of the mark variable was compared by the plat-
form used and language. In this case, the academic
grade was a quantitative variable, which is why a
Student T-Test was used to compare the averages.
In a third analysis, also with the grade variable, we
compared the averages by language and once again
we carried out the comparison with a Student
T-Test.
Lastly, concerning the grade obtained by the sub-
jects on the video recordings, the average of all of
the videos recorded by students was calculated.
This was analysed based on the variables in order to
perceive possible statistically significant differences
in the data. With the objective of homogenising the
given grade and increasing the degree of objectivity
in the assessment, the three researchers revised and
assessed the videos of all the courses involved.
Results
For the sake of clarity, the results of the study will
be presented in four blocks: linguistic compe-
tences, perceived usefulness of the tasks undertaken
by participants, assessment of the experience,
and academic grade. The analysis was based on
the four previously indicated variables: gender, the
school each participant belongs to, language, and
platform used, that is, either TikTok or FlipGrid.
As space limitations made it impossible to include
all the data analysed, only the total averages and

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the results that showed statistically significant data
were presented.
Linguistic Competences
The assessments regarding the learning and
improvement of linguistic skills through the cre-
ation of videos and the collaborative work stood
out with elevated values, especially those referring
to oral expression (3.97) and aural comprehen-
sion (3.95), which is an indicator of TikTok and
FlipGrid’s pedagogic potential for use in the lan-
guage classroom to foment oral skills. In the case
of oral expression, the total value was 3.12 and
3.28 for the instructive experience and collabora-
tive work, respectively.
No statistical evidence was found to reject the notion
that the averages are the same according to gender or
language although, in this second category, the val-
ues of A2 Italian were slightly greater than those of
B2 English. There were, however, significant statisti-
cal differences with regard to the platform used.
As can be seen in Figure 1, the assessment values
of the FlipGrid group were higher than those of the
TikTok group, both in the items regarding formative
experience (first two columns) and in the collabora-
tive work (last two columns). As the Mann-Whitney
U-Test shows (Table 1), these differences can be
found mainly in the skills of written expression and
aural comprehension, as the level of significance
Figure 1 Assessment Values According to Platform
Mann-Whitney U Wilcoxon W Z Asymp. Sig.
(2-tailed)
Comparison
platform used
The creation of video with the tool TikTok has
helped me improve my written expression. 869.500 9254.500 -2.173 0.030
The collaborative work with the rest of the
class viewing and commenting in writing on the
recordings has helped me improve my aural
comprehension.
901.000 9286.000 -2.139 0.032
The collaborative work with the rest of the
class viewing and commenting in writing on the
recordings has helped me improve my written
expression.
872.000 9257.000 -2.213 0.027
Table 1 Mann-Whitney U-Test by Platform

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was below 0.05 in the questionnaire items that are
shown.
The participants showed, then, a preference for
FlipGrid as opposed to TikTok as a didactic tool in
the fl classroom. In the feedback sessions carried
out at the end of the experience, the participants
catalogued associating TikTok with the academic
context as strange, as it is a tool used more in
private contexts and whose videos deal with super-
fluous questions in order to kill time (GR3_26).
Additionally, the fact that the videos could not be
prolonged to more than a minute in the moment
the experience took place limited the presentation
(GR5_12). Thus, participants felt that this tool
did not contribute beyond its social use. However,
the FlipGrid group did consider the tool as appro-
priate and as having didactic ends. The preference
for the tool appeared to have a noticeable impact
on the perception that the students had of the
development of oral linguistic skills.
In the case of written expression, it is worth not-
ing that, just as we realised in the viewing and
correction of the videos, in the case of FlipGrid,
students tended to write and read the presenta-
tion, as the video was recorded with the use of a
computer and, generally, was filmed at home. On
the other hand, with TikTok, presentations tended
to be more spontaneous, given the fact that, since
they were filmed with the mobile phone, they
could record in outdoor spaces and in a more cre-
ative way. The screenshots in Figure 2 illustrate
these differences1.
Perceived Usefulness of the Tasks
Undertaken
Within Block 2, in regard to the usefulness of
the tasks undertaken, the participants offered a
positive assessment in general. The participants
highlighted the potential of video recording for
interiorising taught vocabulary (3.87). The con-
cept of working in teams also obtained a high
score (3.83). Lastly, video recording also helped
them get over the fear of speaking in public in a
foreign language (3.80).
All of these perceptions were later corroborated
in the feedback sessions held after the instructive
experience. As an example, we present here some of
the statements that support the results obtained:
GR3_3: The concept of using vocabulary in a real con-
text has proven helpful in acquiring this vocabulary.
GR1_21: Collaborating with classmates has moti-
vated me and allowed me to get to know them better.
GR2_16: Speaking in public terrifies me, but being
able to video record on my own has reinforced my
self-confidence to speak in the fl.
In this case, we did not find any statistically sig-
nificant difference for any of the four variables we
analysed in the study (sex, language, platform, and
school).
1 Images have been fully anonymised, but these altera-
tions do not compromise the results of the study. Data
collection followed the regulations of the eu concern-
ing General Data Protection Regulation (gdpr)
https://gdpr-info.eu/art-5-gdpr/.
Figure 2 Screenshots Showing Differences of Expres-
sion When Using TikTok or Flipgrid

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Experience Assessment
In general, the sample highlighted the enriching
(3.87) and motivating nature (3.99) of the activ-
ity, especially when it is compared with other
types of more traditional oral activities although
the said motivation was not due so much to using
a social network (3.50), but rather the use of vid-
eos as a didactic resource. It is for this reason that
the participants confirmed that they would like to
do more activities like those mentioned (3.58).
Nevertheless, it is worth noting certain statisti-
cally significant differences that were observed in
some of the variables. Concretely, in the language
variable, we see that the Italian language students
harboured a more positive outlook in practically
all of the analysed items. As can be observed in the
results of the Mann-Whitney U-Test, we found
four levels of significance below 0.05 (see Table 2).
Despite the fact that these results were given
within the language variable, we feel it is proba-
ble that this difference is marked by level (Italian
A2-English B2) rather than by the language itself.
At basic levels of language, the learning process is
much faster, after which students reach a learning
plateau in linguistic terms as they advance towards
intermediate and advanced levels (Richards,
2008). For this reason, the advances tend to be
more noticeable.
In addition, the transversal nature of the Italian
course and elective nature of English courses
could also have had some influence on the results.
Italian A2 is offered transversally to the entire
university and the students choose this course
based on their own academic motivations and
interests. Conversely, students must achieve a
B2 level in a language in order to complete their
university degree, which is why they register for
English courses with the objective of meeting the
said requirement. Thus, despite being an elective
course, it is probable that the university require-
ment regarding students having to take the course
in order to obtain their degree, together with the
pressure of taking it in their final year of under-
graduate studies, is an element which indirectly
influences the development of the course. This,
therefore, may have had some influence on the
self-perception which the students harboured
when it came to their training process.
Conversely, the platform variable once again
showed significant differences between TikTok
and FlipGrid as didactic resources in the class-
room. Just as can be deduced from Figure 3, the
participants exhibited a clear preference for the
FlipGrid platform for academic use.
Concretely, the items where we found a statisti-
cally significant difference corresponded to those
that catalogued the experience from an opposing
perspective, that is, as either negative or positive
(see Table 3). As we stated when giving the results
from the feedback sessions, the said difference was
marked by the students’ own perceptions of the
use of TikTok and FlipGrid as pedagogic resources
in the classroom. As Figure 3 and Table 3 show,
Mann-Whitney U Wilcoxon W Z Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed)
Language
In general, this experience has proven to be
enrichening for me. 2035.500 4591.500 -3.096 0.002
In general, this experience has been negative. 2029.500 5032.500 -2.890 0.004
In general, this experience has been positive, and I
would like to do more activities like this one. 2015.500 4571.500 -2.959 0.003
In general, this experience has proven to be
motivating due to the use of social networks in a
foreign language class.
2194.000 4750.000 -2.185 0.029
Table 2 Mann-Whitney U Test According to Language

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the students were less satisfied with TikTok than
FlipGrid. Some of their statements are set out
below:
GR1_4: I enjoyed the topic. It is good to practise
interviews before we are in front of a manager. How-
ever, I think the time was a little bit short, perhaps 1 ½
would be better because I had to cut the video.
GR3_13: Making the video was great but, in general, I
do not like this type of things on social media.
GR4_11: I prefer this private platform [FlipGrid]. I
would have never done this on social media.
Academic Assessment
As previously mentioned, the grades were based on
the following criteria: presentation, content, organ-
isation, and linguistic correctness (see Annex).
In general, the overall grades for both languages
were high. The average grade in the English
groups was 3.51 (out of a total of 4 points), whilst
for the Italian groups it was 3.65 (out of 4 points).
In comparing the averages of the grade variable by
language studied, English or Italian, statistical evi-
dence can be observed which rejects the notion
that the averages are equal (significance of 0.000
in the Student T-Test).
The average grade obtained by those students
who used TikTok was 3.54 (out of 4 points); and
in the case of those who used FlipGrid, it was 3.65
(out of 4 points). In comparing the averages of the
grade variable by the platform used for the activ-
ity, TikTok or FlipGrid, statistical evidence can
be observed to reject the notion that averages are
equal (significance of 0.019 in the Student T Test).
With regard to the variable referring to the school
the students belonged to, statistical evidence
which makes it possible to reject the notion that
the averages are equal was also found. The average
Figure 3 Experience-Related Averages According to Platform
Mann-Whitney U Wilcoxon W Z Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed)
Platform Used
In general, this experience has been negative. 859.000 1049.000 -2.247 0.025
In general, this experience has been positive,
and I would like to do more activities like this
one.
866.500 9251.500 -2.210 0.027
Table 3 Mann-Whitney U-Test According to Platform

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grade in Telecommunications was 3.48 out of 4
points, 3.60 in Computer Science, and 3.62 in
Transversal Italian. In this case, given that it was a
quantitative variable with more than two groups,
a homogeneity test of variances and an anova
were carried out. Both tests showed that there is
evidence to reject the notion that the averages are
equal, at least in Telecommunication. The signifi-
cance of the test was 0.006 (see Table 4).
Discussion and Conclusions
In online teaching methodologies, many of the
teaching practices intended to offset the lack of
in-person classes in the university classroom are
improvised and do not employ efficient teaching
models, as Baladrón et al. (2020) indicate. By way
of a solution, in this article, we showed the put-
ting into practice of a methodology previously
profiled by Pérez-Sabater and Montero-Fleta
(2015). Notwithstanding, the said methodology
has been adapted to a new context and new social
networks which have a current impact on uni-
versity-aged students when it comes to effective
online learning, blended learning, or simply lan-
guage learning.
As far as research questions Q1 and Q2 are con-
cerned, in general, the experience of practising
oral expression by using short videos as a teaching
tool was well received in all the groups of study;
it was considered enriching and motivating and
allowed students to practise new vocabulary bet-
ter than with other types of more traditional oral
activities. Moreover, recording videos facilitated
a more detailed assessment of the activity by the
lecturers, as it allowed the videos to be viewed as
many times as necessary (Lazaraton, 2014). The
grades obtained, with an average of 3.5 out of 4
points, showed, just as pointed out by Bohlke
(2014), that videos required thorough previous
preparation focused on linguistic areas that are not
yet automatised and on a more refined and complex
use of grammar, vocabulary, and language in general.
It has thus been “an excellent framework for inte-
grated skills development”, as also shown in a study
conducted by Hafner and Miller (2021, p. 26).
Nevertheless, viewing the recordings was not
always pleasant for all participants and was a
handicap for students unaccustomed to listening
and hearing themselves in an fl; this is in con-
trast with the findings of Gromik (2012), where
the students valued the reviewing of recorded pro-
ductions as one of the key elements in improving
performance with respect to professors’ assess-
ment. This may be due to the fact that Spanish
learners of English have traditionally been afraid
of speaking in English publicly, even at tertiary
level (Doiz et al., 2019; Ortega Cebreros, 2003).
Having said this, the use of these two applications
had an unequal and, at times, contradictory recep-
tion. With regard to TikTok, this social network
currently has too much of a ludic connotation, which
makes it less adequate for higher education, especially
because the videos are graded. As stated by Ballesteros
Herencia (2020), TikTok is aimed at delivering enter-
tainment and not university assessment. On this
social network, people feel free to share their short
videos, normally musical numbers, or challenges.
This appears to have left its mark on many of the
videos which were often presented with a cer-
tain ludic character, including costume changes
and changes of scenery, thus creating a fun learn-
ing environment that connects the classroom with
the outside world. This is the kind of media stu-
dents are exposed to outside of class (Hafner &
Miller, 2011), that is, social media applications
which learners have normalised in their first lan-
guage (González-Lloret & Rock, 2022), especially
for entertainment purposes (Herlisya & Wiratno,
Table 4 Grade by University School
Sum of
Squares df Mean
Square F Sig.
Between
groups 0.983 2 0.492 5.198 0.006
Within groups 20.241 214 0.095
Total 21.224 216

15Íkala T ikTok /F lipgrid For F oreign language learning in H igHer educaTion : a case sTudy
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2022). The notion of a fun activity or edutainment
(Hogle, 1996) is repeated in the comment sec-
tion of the questionnaires and feedback sessions.
In these sessions, some lower-level participants
stated that TikTok was useful for encouraging
them to participate in class activities and, espe-
cially, for making oral expression practice more
entertaining. This ensured a learning space similar
to a recreational space, as stated by Manca (2020).
On the contrary, with FlipGrid the videos were
essentially readings recorded by the students; that
is, students seated in front of their computers
recording the assigned task. These results are sim-
ilar to those in the study of McLain (2018), where
there was an emphasis on the need for more interac-
tion amongst participants in videos with FlipGrid.
The case of the Italian classes deserves special
attention. The students with an A2 level had a
much more positive attitude towards TikTok
than the B2 English students, as did the first-year
English students in Bayhon Aranego (2020) or
secondary education students in Yang (2020). As
opposed to the results presented in these studies,
in which the age of the informants seems to be the
key variable, in our results the language studied,
Italian or English, could be the element that moti-
vated the said perceptions. Students’ proficiency
(A2 or B2) might also account for this discrep-
ancy between users of TikTok. Future studies will
have to address this question in other group levels.
Conversely, as for the creation of a learning com-
munity (see Q3) or sense of community between
students and professors (Bartlett, 2018), these
tools have not contributed to the said objective.
The viewing of the videos and comments by stu-
dents in the feedback sessions confirmed that the
class connection was not reinforced, although it
was encouraged by the professors, as the active
participation of all the students was not achieved
in the comment section that these tools have.
The above results are opposed to those generated
in previous studies by Antenos-Conforti (2009)
and Pérez-Sabater and Montero-Fleta (2015),
which feature activities on Twitter (renamed as
X in 2023), or Bartlett (2018) with FlipGrid. In
these articles, Twitter and FlipGrid functioned
as real group connection networks between stu-
dents and teachers, both in and outside the
classroom. This is mainly due to the fact that the
interactions in both platforms likely contribute
to creating a sense of learning community, as in
Antenos-Conforti (2009) and Pérez-Sabater and
Montero-Fleta (2015).
It is also noteworthy that, unlike other similar case
studies (e.g., Hafner & Miller, 2021), our students
did not report any problems with the use of tech-
nology and the whole teaching experience ran
smoothly from beginning to end. This is proba-
bly because they are studying to obtain degrees in
computing, telecommunications, and engineering
and are thus used to working with technology on
most of the courses they take.
Although much has been written about students
as passive users of video technology in the fl class-
room, little has been written about the importance
of allowing students to actively create content
worked on in class in order to improve their oral
production (Gromik, 2012). The results of this
research study support the notion that, whether
through the social network TikTok, the teach-
ing tool for video sharing FlipGrid, or simply
using an institutional server, creating short videos
for practising oral expression must be an active
part of language teaching. In regard to the afore-
mentioned, we would add that this need is even
greater in times when attendance and, consequen-
tially, in-class activities are restricted.
Online teaching faces many challenges, espe-
cially in higher learning institutions with a long
tradition and teaching methodologies which are
too conventional in many cases (Baladrón et al.,
2020). The challenge of attracting students to
actively participate in the assignments set is even
greater. Undoubtedly, the incorporation of these
video applications has brought about an improve-
ment in the methodology. Short video production

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might also prove effective in other learning envi-
ronments, although this will need to be tested in
prospective research studies.
Future studies on the use of social media for
language learning will have to analyse in more
detail what has been laid out here regarding the
improvement of grading, by comparing grading
in groups that use technological tools and those
with more traditional methodologies. Languages
other than English and Italian could also be taken
into consideration (e.g., French and German for
engineering), given that these languages are also
offered in our department.
As for limitations, it is important to point out that
TikTok and FlipGrid are proprietary. Follow-up
studies should also feature free and copy left
video applications for language learning. Another
shortcoming would be that the professors them-
selves conducted the feedback sessions (a task that
is usually undertaken by other researchers who
do not participate in the experiment) as Ibáñez
(2015) claims. This may pose a problem because
of power relations within the classroom, especially
when students would like to give negative feed-
back, for fear of being awarded a lower grade.
Acknowledgments
This research is part of the educational proj-
ect Enseñanza de segundas lenguas y tecnologías
de la información: redes sociales en el aula de L2,
Instituto de Ciencias de la Educación, Universitat
Politècnica de València, Spain. Ethical regulations
for the study and dissemination of results were
approved by this institution in September 2020.
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Flipgrid for foreign language learning in higher education: A case study. Íkala, Revista de Lenguaje y
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19Íkala T ikTok /F lipgrid For F oreign language learning in H igHer educaTion : a case sTudy
Medellín, ColoMbia, Vol. 29 issue 1 (January -april, 2024), pp. 1-19, issn 0123-3432
www.udea.edu.co/ikala
Appendix. Evaluation Rubric for Tiktok/Flipgrid Videos
Grades Presentation Content Organization Linguistic Accuracy
1 p. It is original and creative. The
student uses an appropriate
tone of voice and has a relaxed
and positive attitude.
It fits with the topic
requested by the teacher.
It is interesting and/or
informative.
The discourse is coherent and
cohesive, with appropriate
and varied use of cohesive
mechanisms. The pace is good
and seemingly effortless.
There is a sufficient amount of
information for the time allotted.
The student shows a high
grammatical control and
lexical mastery of the
contents worked on during
the course. He/she can make
few mistakes or inaccuracies
that do not cause
incomprehension. Clearly
intelligible pronunciation.
0.65 p. It is not too original and/or
creative. The student uses an
appropriate tone of voice and
has a positive attitude.
It roughly fits with the topic
requested by the teacher. It
is interesting or informative.
The discourse is clear and
coherent, with an adequate,
although limited, use of cohesion
mechanisms. Pace fairly uniform.
The student shows good
grammatical control
and lexical proficiency,
making errors that do not
cause incomprehension.
Pronunciation is clearly
intelligible, although
sporadic errors may be
made.
0.25 p. It is not original and/or
creative. Occasionally, the
student appears tense or uses
a tone of voice that makes it
difficult to understand.
It deviates from the topic
requested by the teacher.
The discourse is very simple,
although clear. Sometimes the
pace loses intensity.
The student shows
reasonable control of simple
structures and commonly
used vocabulary, although
he/she does not always
use the required structures
and vocabulary and makes
some errors. Pronunciation
is intelligible, although
comprehension may
sometimes require effort.