STUDENT-GENERATED TIKTOK MICROLEARNING AS A PERFORMANCE-BASED DIGITAL ASSESSMENT FOR VOCABULARY RETENTION AMONG EFL LEARNERS

Abstrak

The integration of social media into English language teaching has created new opportunities for technology-enhanced learning and assessment. Although previous studies have extensively investigated TikTok as a learning medium, limited attention has been given to its role as a performance-based digital assessment, particularly through student-generated microlearning activities. This study aimed to explore how student-generated TikTok microlearning was implemented as a performance-based digital assessment to enhance vocabulary retention among EFL learners and how students perceived its role in supporting vocabulary learning. A qualitative case study was conducted involving junior high school EFL learners. Data were collected through classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis of students' TikTok video projects and analyzed using Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis. The findings revealed two major themes. First, student-generated TikTok microlearning functioned as an authentic performance-based digital assessment by promoting active learner engagement, authentic language performance, collaborative learning, and meaningful feedback throughout the video production process. Second, students perceived that the repeated practice of writing scripts, rehearsing dialogues, recording videos, and using vocabulary in meaningful communicative contexts supported their vocabulary retention and increased their confidence in using English vocabulary. Rather than demonstrating statistically measurable vocabulary improvement, the findings provide qualitative evidence of the learning processes and learner experiences through which vocabulary retention was supported during student-generated TikTok microlearning activities. This study contributes to the development of digital assessment in English language teaching by proposing student-generated TikTok microlearning as a pedagogically meaningful model of performance-based digital assessment that integrates authentic assessment, student-generated content, and microlearning to support vocabulary learning.