The Investigation and its Findings The primary objective of the investigation was to examine the impact of introducing the social media platform TikTok on students’ knowledge acquisition and creative ability to teach a section of work from the high school Accounting curriculum. My underlying assumption, echoed by other experts, was that social media does not hinder successful teaching methods but supports learner-centred teaching; TikTok was utilised as an educational tool. TikTok is presently experiencing rapid growth worldwide and has amassed a user base of over 1 billion individuals. Most users spend at least one hour on the app every day. Moreover, this platform is often regarded as an attractive social media platform for Gen Z, whose primary demographic falls from 14 to 30. Its main allure is its concise video content, typically 60 seconds. The straightforward and rapidly paced “microlearning” videos, as described by Jaeger (2020), are highly appealing to the current generation of digitally savvy individuals who possess a keen social and cultural awareness and a strong inclination towards creativity. The research inquiry presented in this study was: “What are the students’ experiences producing TikTok videos based on Accounting content?” TikTok is a social media platform that enables users to produce and modify videos ranging from 15 to 60 seconds in length in any desired style (Edwards, 2020; Jaeger, 2020; Su et al., 2020). The platform is commonly used by individuals between 10 and 30 (Tutt, 2021; Roderick, 2020). TikTok is a costless mobile application that allows users to share concise movies on any subject of their choice (Ruiz, 2020; Wang, 2020). Presently, this app is seeing rapid growth, boasting a user base of more than 1 billion, with 800 million users actively engaging with it every month (Mishra, 2020; Tandberg, 2022). Studies show that teenagers and preteens quickly embrace new technology, spending approximately 82 minutes daily using TikTok. This makes it a precious platform for lecturers and teachers to consider (Tutt, 2021). According to Mishra (2020) and Roderick (2020), video has emerged as a popular learning platform among teenagers and pre-teens, indicating its potential as an educational tool. According to Klein (2019), the TikTok video-sharing platform is gaining popularity among preadolescents and adolescents, and a few educators have begun using it in their teaching. The platform is designed to facilitate the creation of music videos, lip-syncing, dancing, and comedy shorts. However, it offers users the flexibility to engage in any desired activity and is user-friendly. (Edwards, 2020; Escamilla-Fajardo et al., 2021) Social media enables students to quickly, enjoyably, and conveniently acquire essential instructional information. Social media can enhance communication skills, offer instant access to up-to-date information, and establish social networks for educational purposes. Students were tasked with selecting a specific topic from the school Accounting Curriculum Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) documents and producing a TikTok video centred around that topic. The students were given explicit assessment criteria against which their TikTok would be judged. The assessment criteria were based on engaging and innovative design and delivery, the precision of module content, and a narrow time limit of one to three minutes. A further aim of this project was to crowdsource a resource using the TikTok app for future use with learners at school. This research utilised a qualitative design. Information was collected via an online survey completed by 98 Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) and BEd Accounting methodology students. The students were asked to provide feedback on their experiences while creating TikTok videos and explain their choice of a particular section of Accounting. They also reflected on the technical aspects of using the TikTok app. Teaching Innovation for the 21st Century | Showcasing UJ Teaching Innovation Projects 2024 18
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjU1NDYx