Exploring the Influence of Chinese Short Videos on the TikTok Platform on University Students’ Intentions to Learn National Musical Instruments

With the rapid advancement of information technology, short video platforms have become deeply integrated into university students' daily lives and learning behaviors.In China, in particular, its massive user base and highly efficient content dissemination capabilities have made it a significant medium for cultural communication.Although existing studies have primarily focused on platform technologies and user behaviors, there is still a lack of systematic investigation into how short video platforms influence university students' intentions to learn traditional Chinese musical instruments through cultural identity.This study constructs a theoretical framework integrating the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Social Cognitive Theory, and Attribution Theory.It focuses on examining the impact of platform interactivity and content preference on students' cultural identity, as well as the mediating role of cultural identity in shaping learning intentions.It also explores the moderating effects of learning motivation and attribution style.Data were collected from 626 university students in China through an online questionnaire survey, and empirical analysis was conducted using multiple linear regression and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM).The results indicate that the interactivity and content preferences of short video platforms have a significant positive impact on cultural identity, which plays a mediating role between platform characteristics and learning intentions.This indicates that short video platforms indirectly enhance students' willingness to learn traditional musical instruments by reinforcing their cultural identity.Notably, the moderating effects of learning motivation and attribution style were not statistically significant.These non-significant findings suggest that students' learning intentions in short video environments are more driven by immediate interest and algorithmic recommendations-external mechanisms of the platform-rather than by stable internal traits such as motivation or attribution style.This reflects the contextual and emotionally driven nature of university students' learning behaviors in the digital media environment.