Multilingual international graduate students (MIGS) in U.S. universities frequently encounter challenges with oral communication that have the potential to affect their participation in academic discussions, social integration, and overall graduate school experience (Lewis, 2024). MIGS experience these tensions when navigating high-stakes academic and professional communication within predominantly English-speaking environments (Halic et al., 2009). These multifaceted demands suggest that the communication difficulties experienced by MIGS may be intensified when their anxiety further restricts opportunities for meaningful interaction, especially in the context of their graduate studies.
Recent scholarship has identified social media platforms as emerging informal language learning spaces (Hu & Du, 2022; Mudhofar, 2021) that facilitate language acquisition through authentic communication opportunities with native speakers (Idries et al., 2024). Al Saleem (2018) documented social media's effectiveness in enhancing oral communication skills, particularly spontaneous conversation and viewpoint articulation. With more than 2 billion users worldwide, TikTok has garnered particular attention as a language learning platform (Zhai & Razali, 2021). Its short-form video format offers distinctive affordances for developing oral production skills in English as a Foreign Language contexts (Guillén, 2023). Despite growing interest in TikTok as a language learning tool, there remains a lack of research on its role in supporting English development for MIGS who face unique linguistic and academic demands.
This qualitative study examined how MIGS experience and conceptualize TikTok’s role in developing their oral communication skills in English. This research contributes to the growing body of literature on social media-mediated language learning. The following questions guided this study:
How do MIGS characterize their TikTok engagement practices?
What connections do MIGS perceive between TikTok use and their oral communication in academic contexts?
This qualitative study employed a survey and focus group to investigate how MIGS interpret their TikTok use in relation to developing oral communication skills. The survey (n = 37) gathered demographic information and patterns of TikTok engagement. The survey component that examined TikTok use intensity was adapted from the Facebook Use Intensity Scale created by Ellison et al. (2007), which was subsequently modified for Instagram (Trifiro, 2018). Both conceptualized intensity as emotional connectedness to the platform and the degree of daily use. For this study, we also identified focus group participants (n = 6) to further investigate their TikTok language-learning experiences and their influence on oral communication as MIGS.
Participants for the survey, see Table 1, consisted of MIGS enrolled at two U.S. universities. The sample was evenly divided between master's (49%) and PhD students (49%). Over half identified as Asian (54%). Most participants were aged 18–29 (54%) or 30–39 (41%), with more than half indicating proficiency in two or more languages (57%).
Table 1
Overview of survey participants
Category | Subgroup | Percentage |
Ethnicity | Asian | 54% |
African American | 8% | |
Middle Eastern or North African | 8% | |
Hispanic or Latino | 5% | |
White | 5% | |
Other | 19% | |
Graduate Level | Master’s | 49% |
Ph.D. | 49% | |
Other graduate level | 2% | |
Age Range | 18-29 | 54% |
30-39 | 41% | |
Other ages | 5% | |
Proficient in English and two or more languages | 57% | |
Language Proficiency | Proficient in English and one more language | 43% |
The focus group participants (n = 6) were selected by willingness to participate from the survey respondents. Table 2 provides an overview of their defining characteristics. All were self-identified TikTok users.
Table 2
Overview of focus group participants
Participant pseudonym | Country of origin | Languages spoken | Academic program |
Sarah | Pakistan | Punjabi, Urdu, and English | Ph.D. in Literacies and Language Arts Education |
Kai | Philippines | Tagalog, Ilocano, Visayan, and English | Master’s in Public Health |
Dazhi | China | Mandarin and English | Ph.D. in Educational Technology |
Elizabeth | Nigeria | Yoruba and English | Master’s in TESOL |
Lee | China | Mandarin and English | Ph.D. in Literacies and Language Arts Education |
Maria | China | Mandarin and English | Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy |
Data analysis began with calculating descriptive statistics for the survey findings. Then, employing the constant comparison method (Glaser & Strauss, 2017), the researchers reviewed the focus group transcript to code the transcript into overarching categories and themes. After multiple cycles of code refinement, data saturation became evident (Glaser & Strauss, 2017).
To determine the nature of the TikTok engagement practices among MIGS, we analyzed the survey and focus group responses. Descriptive analyses generated from the survey responses indicated moderate levels of both TikTok usage intensity among the MIGS participants. Their TikTok usage intensity, based on survey items related to frequency and duration of use, showed a mean of 2.82 on a Likert scale of 1 to 5 (SD = 0.92), suggesting substantial variability in how intensely MIGS engage with the platform.
Though the level of TikTok use intensity varied, analysis of focus group data revealed that the participants’ TikTok use collectively reflects a blend of entertainment, information gathering, and informal language learning. Elizabeth was the most active creator, producing English-language travel vlogs and cultural guides aimed at inspiring a global audience. Others primarily reported consuming content. For example, Elizabeth reported watching “true crime, news, and English-language entertainment.” She also used the platform to passively search for quick information and establish social connections. Sarah, who previously created educational content about English exams that “covered test modules, common misconceptions, and preparation strategies in Pakistan,” now uses TikTok mainly for entertainment, news, and occasional educational content. Dazhi reported engaging daily with Chinese and international versions of the app to repost videos and consume a multilingual mix of entertainment, news, and learning-focused content. He stated that “I use TikTok like a lot every day... I would say I use like, six hours a day. I scroll the videos, and sometimes you just can't stop.” Maria relies on TikTok for relaxation to follow memes, comedy, dance trends, and lifestyle vlogs while interacting with educational hashtags. She described: “I mainly use it for just entertainment and relaxation and I usually just go through it for a few minutes after a long day, just to relax.” These use patterns illustrate diverse forms of participation that range from active content creation to passive consumption. Both forms were shaped by their personal goals, linguistic repertoires, and shifting social and academic contexts.
In addition, the thematic analysis of focus group data revealed four interconnected themes regarding TikTok's impact on MIGS' oral communication experiences. The initial findings suggest that TikTok supports informal English development through complementary processes of self-practice and observational learning, both which helped MIGS build confidence and internalize language patterns in low-pressure environments. Participants identified TikTok as a valuable practice space. Kai stated that, “TikTok is also a way I can practice how I speak English, I have to record again, and record again, until for me it's like perfect”. The recording and re-recording features provided a safe environment to rehearse English without immediate social consequences. Observational learning also emerged as a key process, with students reporting unconscious language acquisition through watching native speakers' patterns and the platform's short-form videos enabling repeated exposure to linguistic features. Dazhi described this process: “When I speak English in a classroom by using some of the phrases they mentioned, I just unconsciously use them, not on purpose.”
Beyond these patterns, participants also revealed a nuanced set of experiences related to the influence of their TikTok engagement on emotional and academic experiences. For example, a complex awareness-anxiety connection was identified, wherein increased exposure to native speakers simultaneously heightened students' linguistic self-consciousness and awareness of their own limitations, creating a paradoxical relationship between growing competence and growing anxiety. Kai’s reflection exemplified this duality: “I listened to the recording, and I realized I do have an accent. My accent is kind of thick.” This heightened linguistic awareness potentially benefited language development, but it also intensified her language performance anxiety. Finally, participants described successful transfer of TikTok-acquired skills to academic settings, including the application of conversational language patterns in classroom discussions, vocabulary expansion for presentations, and increased confidence in forming academic arguments. Sarah described implementation strategies: “I try to incorporate that vocabulary whenever I'm talking to my advisors, whenever I'm in the classroom, or when I try to make a point.”
Collectively, these findings suggest that while TikTok provides valuable language learning opportunities, its impact on oral communication for academic purposes speaking anxiety is multifaceted and shaped by both confidence-building experiences and heightened linguistic self-awareness.
The findings of this study illustrate that TikTok functions as an emerging informal learning environment with potential for supporting MIGS’ development of oral communication. Although students did not intentionally use TikTok for English practice, their exposure to authentic language input suggests that these platforms can complement traditional instruction by providing entertaining linguistic contexts that may gradually reduce barriers such as speaking-related anxiety. From a pedagogical perspective, the results point to opportunities to incorporate short video content into English speaking coursework, drawing on learners’ existing media habits to strengthen confidence and oral production. At the same time, the study’s limitations, including a narrow participant pool and reliance on self-reported data restrict the generalizability of the findings and highlight the need for more diverse samples and multi-layered data in future work.
Future research should examine the relationship between TikTok use and English speaking anxiety with larger samples and explore how specific genres of TikTok content support or hinder MIGS’ linguistic development. Longitudinal studies may help trace how informal digital exposure shapes anxiety trajectories over time, and multimodal approaches, including analysis of watched or created videos, could illuminate how linguistic features and platform affordances mediate linguistic gains. Such work can deepen understanding of how informal media practices influence graduate level oral communication and inform instructional practices that align academic support with contemporary digital habits.
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