Byte-Sized Learning: Using Short-Form Educational Videos to Enhance Students’ Speaking Fluency and Oral Vocabulary

Abstract

Today, many students spend a lot of time scrolling through social media watching Short Form Videos (SFVs). However, despite this, they often find it hard to speak up or share their ideas clearly in class. Even though these students are in senior high school, they still struggle to express themselves and often hesitate when speaking. This classroom-based action research investigated whether Short Form Videos (SFVs) can be utilized to help the 22 Grade 11 students at Malinao National High School improve their speaking abilities. The researchers executed a 10-day intervention following the cyclical model of Kemmis and McTaggart, which use only four teacher-created SFVs to provide a functional “English Frame” while protecting the students from cognitive overload. The study collected quantitative data through pre-test and post-test assessment, which the researcher used to conduct a paired sample t-test analysis, and was further supported by a qualitative analysis of students’ audio transcripts. Findings revealed a significant improvement in oral performance where the class means increased from 2.55 to 3.32 (t=5.29, p < 0.001). The Linguistic analysis demonstrated that there was less “dead air” time while speakers used transitional words like “First” and “After that,” yet still showing code-switching from their mother tongue, but now it has better control over speech flow and organization of ideas. The study concludes that short videos give students a familiar baseline to lean on, which helps them stop freezing up or stuttering in class, while turning their everyday social media habits into a useful tool for school. The study suggests that educators should utilize SFVs as purposeful educational resources that help students transition from their media consumption to academic communication.