TIKTOK DUET CHALLENGES AS A SPEAKING ENHANCEMENT TOOL: A STUDY OF EFL NON-ENGLISHMAJORED UNDERGRADUATE PERCEPTIONS IN CAN THO UNIVERSITY

Abstract

In recent years, TikTok Duet Challenges have emerged as an interactive feature on the popular social media platform, offering users innovative means of language practice beyond traditional classroom settings. This study explores the potential of TikTok Duet Challenges for enhancing English-speaking proficiency among non-English-majored undergraduates at Can Tho University, Vietnam. A mixed-methods research design was employed, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Seventy nonEnglish-majored undergraduates with prior experience using TikTok Duet Challenges participated in an online questionnaire, while seven of them took part in follow-up semistructured interviews to provide deeper insights into their experiences and perceptions. Quantitative findings revealed overwhelmingly positive perceptions of the usefulness of TikTok Duet Challenges across four key areas: Motivation and Engagement, Interactive and Social Learning, Language Proficiency Development, and Affective and Safe Learning Environment. The qualitative data further enriched these findings by illustrating how the duet challenges contributed to improvements in specific aspects of speaking proficiency, including stress, fluency, vocabulary, and particularly pronunciation and intonation, identified as the most noticeably enhanced features. Participants also linked their increased confidence in speaking to several contributing factors: mastery of prosodic features, repeated practice, improved pronunciation and fluency, exposure to a wider range of ideas, and the presence of a supportive learning environment that reduced fear of making mistakes. Overall, the findings hold significant implications for integrating social media platforms - particularly TikTok - into language learning pedagogy. The study provides empirical evidence supporting the educational potential of TikTok's duet feature and offers guidance for language educators in designing speaking-focused activities that utilize the platform's unique affordances to foster learner motivation, diversify practice opportunities, and build speaking confidence in the target language.