THE EFFECTIVENESS OF USING TIKTOK TO IMPROVE VOCATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILLS

Abstract

Speaking is an essential competence for vocational high school students because it supports academic communication and future workplace demands. This study examined whether TikTok-based instruction produced a significant difference in the speaking skills of tenth-grade Digital Business students compared with conventional instruction. A quantitative quasi-experimental design with a nonequivalent pretest-posttest control group was employed. The sample consisted of 38 students selected through purposive sampling, including 18 students in the experimental group and 20 students in the control group. Students completed procedure-text speaking tasks assessed primarily on accuracy and fluency. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the Shapiro-Wilk test, Levene’s test, a homogeneity-of-regression-slopes test, and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Both groups improved after instruction. The experimental group increased from a mean pretest score of 81.94 to 86.11, whereas the control group increased from 74.25 to 82.50. However, after controlling for initial speaking ability, the group effect was not statistically significant (p = .747), while the pretest significantly predicted posttest performance (p = .001). The findings indicate that TikTok did not outperform conventional instruction under the conditions of this study, although it still provided opportunities for repeated practice, self-evaluation, and feedback. TikTok is therefore more appropriately positioned as a supplementary medium supported by structured tasks and sustained teacher guidance.