Understanding TikTok Use by Arabic Language Education Students for Informal Learning: A Phenomenological Uses and Gratifications Study

Ahmad Maulana Faiz Al-Ghifari Kamal; Asep Sunarko; Nurul Azizah; Ahmad Hikam

doi:10.31000/b3nem257

Authors

Ahmad Maulana Faiz Al-Ghifari Kamal Universitas Sains Al-Qur'an Wonosobo
Asep Sunarko Universitas Sains Al-Qur'an
Nurul Azizah Universitas Sains Al-Qur'an
Ahmad Hikam Al-Ahgaff University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31000/b3nem257

Keywords:

TikTok, informal learning, Arabic language education, uses and gratifications, phenomenology, microlearning

Abstract

This study examines how Arabic Language Education students experience TikTok as an informal learning ecology and how these experiences satisfy cognitive, affective, personal-integrative, and social-integrative needs. Using an interpretive phenomenological design, the study involved twelve Arabic Language Education students at Universitas Sains Al-Qur'an (UNSIQ) Jawa Tengah di Wonosobo and drew on semi-structured interviews conducted in July 2026. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to construct patterns of shared meaning, while Uses and Gratifications (U&G) served as a sensitizing theoretical lens rather than a fixed coding framework. Findings reveal two interconnected modes of use: intentional searches driven by assignments, microteaching, vocabulary, pronunciation, and difficult course content, and serendipitous exposure through the For You Page. All twelve participants reported academic use, enjoyment, increased confidence, perceived oral-language benefits, support for recall or understanding, and distraction or time loss; eleven described sharing or collaboration, ten emphasized concise delivery and verification practices, and seven reported limited engagement with colloquial Arabic. The study's novelty is an algorithmic microlearning cycle linking learning triggers, platform affordances, gratifications, perceived outcomes, follow-up actions, and constraining conditions. Theoretically, the model extends U&G by showing that gratification is recursively co-produced by user agency and algorithmic recommendation and does not automatically become learning. Practically, the findings support guided curation, credibility checking, dialect labeling, purposeful reuse, and attention-regulation activities in Arabic teacher education.

Keywords: TikTok; informal learning; Arabic language education; uses and gratifications; phenomenology; microlearning

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