Teachers' and students' perceptions towards the use of YouTube videos in an English classroom

Abstract

The advancements in information and communication technology (ICT) have revolutionized the ways of teaching and learning. ‘Web 2.0’ tools like blogs, wiki pages are often used to teach the digital natives nowadays (Tapscott, 1999; Prensky, 2001). Teachers, especially language teachers, have been encouraged to use web 2.0 tools such as YouTube to promote better learning among the ‘Net Generation’ students.

Despite the importance of early childhood education in students’ language development, not much attention was paid to the primary context. Most studies explored the educational potential of YouTube in tertiary education and focused only on its impact on motivation and ideas for using the videos. Previous literature suggested that successful YouTube supported lessons need participations from both teachers and students. The perceptions of teachers of the tool were often overlooked even though they may have prominent influence on classroom practice, let alone students’ attitudes. Thus, this study aimed to bridge the literature gap by exploring teachers’ and students’ attitudes in a primary context. This study explored the perceptions of Hong Kong teachers and students towards the use of YouTube in English teaching, the current use of YouTube videos in class, and possible challenges teachers may face. It is believed that the findings emerging from this inquiry will inform our efforts to improve the use of YouTube videos in English teaching in ESL (English as second language) classrooms.