Frontiers in Educational Research, 2024, 7(9); doi: 10.25236/FER.2024.070922.
Zhilin Xin
Foreign Language School, Shanghai Lixin University of Accounting and Finance, Shanghai, China
Abundant evidences have proved that video social media like You Tube is a useful tool for second language (L2) learning. Students use You Tube to expand their learning resources, make the learning process more attractive and improve their cultural knowledge. In addition, compared with formal in-class learning, this self-regulated strategy is deemed as flexible and interactive. Bilibili (nicknamed as B site), like its Western counterpart You Tube, is a Chinese video-content generated platform. Despite its popularity among Gen Z, very little is known about how L2 learners make use of this trending social media. This research, based on the self-regulated learning theory, intends to figure out how university students perceive learning English from B site content creators outside the classroom setting. 122 Chinese university students answered the questionnaire, and some of them attended the followed up semi-constructed interview. Results show that most students favor this approach of learning. Similarly, they use B site to find resources, get themselves motivated and raise cultural awareness. However, most participants seldomly interact with native speakers or their peers on the platform, which makes the learning process less communicative. Apart from that, students still seem to lack the ability to monitor and plan for their learning.
technology assisted learning; Bilibili; L2 learning; self-regulated learning; Chinese university students
Zhilin Xin. Informal L2 learning through video social media platforms: an exploration of use of Bilibili and L2 learner’s self-regulated learning. Frontiers in Educational Research (2024) Vol. 7, Issue 9: 138-147. https://doi.org/10.25236/FER.2024.070922.
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