Timorese University Students’ Utilization of Youtube as a Learning Media to Improve English Speaking Skills: A Case Study of First-Year Students at Universidade Nacional Timor Lorosa’e (UNTL)

Abstract

English is a compulsory subject and an essential tool for academic success, employment, and integration with ASEAN in Timor-Leste. However, many students still raise concerns regarding difficulties with speaking skills. With its rich resources and extensive content available on YouTube, it serves as a valuable learning tool for both students and teachers. Although prior research in Timor-Leste on the relationship between the impact of YouTube and students’ English-speaking skills has been conducted, studies focusing on first-year students are limited. Thus, this study examines how YouTube is used to improve English-speaking skills among first-year students at Universidade Nacional Timor Lorosa’e (UNTL), Timor-Leste. A qualitative approach was applied to obtain primary data. The researcher conducted focus group discussions with 10 students and in-depth interviews with 3 English teachers, combining these with classroom observations. The findings show that YouTube acts as a motivational tool, fostering students to obtain knowledge independently outside the classroom on their own time. Self-driven learning interest and approach are also boosted. YouTube benefits students in their pronunciation, vocabulary, and confidence in speaking. Teachers also view YouTube, as well as other social media platforms, as a valuable tool to enhance learning experience and interaction. They strongly recommend using it in combination with the traditional teaching method to achieve better performance from their students. This research concludes that combining students’ self-directed learning with teachers’ teaching strategies creates a more engaging English learning environment and projects the potential of social media as a practical learning tool. It also suggests that there is a need to incorporate digital-based learning programs into the national curriculum and allocate a national budget to maximize the benefits in this area.