Understanding Efl Students' Experiences With Tiktok Videos In Developing Listening Comprehension

This qualitative study explores EFL students' experiences using TikTok videos to develop listening comprehension, identifies the listening challenges they encounter, and examines the strategies they employ to overcome those difficulties. The research was conducted at the English Language Education Department of UIN Ar-Raniry Banda Aceh, involving five EFL students from Batch 2022 who actively watch English content on TikTok. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings reveal that all five participants engage with English TikTok content daily and perceive development in their listening skills over time. Most participants found their first experience confusing due to limited listening proficiency and the absence of subtitles, while one participant with stronger listening skills found it easy and enjoyable. TikTok provides a low-pressure, enjoyable environment that supports incidental learning. The main listening challenges identified include accent (particularly Scottish and British accents), informal language and connected speech (such as "wanna" and "gonna"), vocabulary gaps, and fast speech rate. To overcome these difficulties, students employed five main strategies: using subtitles (the most frequently used), rewatching videos, reading comment sections, using external resources (Google, Google Translate, and AI), and skipping incomprehensible content. A key finding is that students independently utilized comment sections and AI tools to aid comprehension, a strategy not extensively documented in prior TikTok listening research. The main contribution of this study is its qualitative exploration of students' natural, unstructured listening experiences on TikTok, which differs from previous studies that focused primarily on quantitative outcomes or classroom-based interventions. These findings imply that English teachers should recognize TikTok as a legitimate source of authentic listening input and consider integrating students' informal listening strategies into classroom instruction. Further research is needed to explore how student-driven strategies such as using comment sections and AI can be integrated into formal language learning environments.