TikTok as a digital ecology for contextual vocabulary acquisition among Indonesian EFL learners

This study investigated TikTok as a digital ecology to enable Indonesian EFL learners’ contextual vocabulary learning through informal multimodal engagement. The study used a qualitative interpretive design with a reflective-narrative approach. The data were collected by semi-structured interview and supplementary survey to 15 undergraduate students at IAIN Langsa. Thematic analysis identified four inter-related mechanisms for learning vocabulary in context. Participants used visual, auditory, textual and contextual cues to infer the meanings of words. Algorithmically personalized repetition improved retention of vocabulary and semantic understanding in different communicative contexts. They also reported low-anxiety, interest-based learning experiences that kept them engaged and helped them learn vocabulary in context. Other participants demonstrated learner agency through actively choosing to watch English content, replaying and saving the videos, and using new vocabulary in their real-life communication. The results extend existing perspectives on contextual vocabulary acquisition by demonstrating the interactions between multimodal affordances, algorithmic personalization, and learner agency in the making of an adaptive digital learning ecology outside of formal instruction. Pedagogically, the study recommends that English teachers should include learners’ informal digital practices in the classroom through multimodal inferencing activities, reflective vocabulary journals and guided online literacy activities. Future studies should compare short-form video platforms and study their long-term incorporation in formal EFL learning environments.