MEANING-MAKING IN DIGITAL LISTENING: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF TIKTOK STORY-TELLING AMONG YOUNG EFL LEARNERS

Izza, Triananda Rahmatul (2026) MEANING-MAKING IN DIGITAL LISTENING: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF TIKTOK STORY-TELLING AMONG YOUNG EFL LEARNERS. Diploma thesis, IKIP PGRI BOJONEGORO.

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Abstract

Izza, Triananda R. 2026. Meaning-Making in Digital Listening: A Phenomenologi-cal Study of Tiktok Storytelling Among Young EFL Learners. Skripsi. Eng-lish Education Department. Faculty of Language and Arts Education. IKIP PGRI Bojonegoro. Advisor (I) Refi Ranto Rozak, M.Pd., (II) Meiga Ratih Tirtanawati, M.Pd. Keywords: TikTok, Digital Storytelling, Listening Skills, Young EFL learners, Phenomenology. In the digital era, social media platforms such as TikTok have become an inseparable part of young learners' daily lives. This platform offers short-form, mul-timodal content that combines visuals, audio, and narrative; however, listening skills—as a fundamental language skill—are still frequently taught through static and unengaging materials. Furthermore, the use of digital storytelling on platforms closely tied to children's media consumption patterns has not been widely examined among elementary-level EFL learners. Therefore, this study aims to examine how digital storytelling through TikTok can facilitate the development of listening skills among young EFL learners, while also identifying students' perceptions and mean-ing-making processes when learning listening through this medium. To answer these questions, this study employed a qualitative phenomenological approach, in-volving eight fifth-grade students and one class teacher at MI Islamiyah Mojodeso. Data were collected through classroom observation, semi-structured interviews, and students' reflective journals across six storytelling sessions. The findings show that TikTok Digital Storytelling enhanced students' attention, listening comprehen-sion, and vocabulary mastery. Both bottom-up and top-down listening strategies emerged naturally through exposure to animation, narration, and bilingual subtitles. In addition, students also underwent a personal meaning-making process by relating story content to their own emotions and life experiences, drawing moral lessons independently, and showing early signs of learning autonomy and a more positive orientation toward English. Overall, this study concludes that TikTok Digital Sto-rytelling functions not only as an entertainment medium but also as an authentic multimodal scaffold that supports both listening skill development and meaningful language engagement among young EFL learners, despite the limitations of this study in terms of the number of participants and the research duration.

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