TeachTokerists in the Philippines: A Husserlian Phenomenology

Abstract

The usage of TikTok in the educational environment appears to be sparse, in contrast to previous studies that assess methods of integrating various social media platforms. As a result, this study aimed to clarify this issue by exploring the experiences and viewpoints of teacher-Tiktokerists or TeachTokerists in the Philippines to comprehend Tiktok’s function in the field of education. Using Edmund Husserl’s (descriptive) phenomenology, the findings revealed that TeachTokerists are from all over the Philippines, handling various courses in primary education. Most were aware of the app before the pandemic but only started using it during the pandemic-related lockdowns. The acronym “EDU”, which refers to E - Entertainment Purposes, D - Development of Content, and U - understanding oneself and others, is an example of why teachers in the Philippines are on Tiktok. The acronym “TOK” was developed by the researchers based on the themes they identified regarding the roles TikTok has made in Philippine education: T for Tools for Teachers and Students, O for Optimization of Students’ Confidence, Video Editing Skills, and Talents (CVT), and K for Knowledge Resource for Teachers. In the arena of Philippine education, TikTok may be advantageous. With the help of its easy-to-use interface, teachers may better convey key ideas to students and help them create videos as part of their learning output or performance. Furthermore, teachers can include educational materials that are freely available online in their lessons. Regrettably, the TeachTokerists listed the dangers that TikTok poses to students, including, but not limited to, vulgar language, excessive app use, incorrect information, and criticisms from other users. In the future, a quantitative version of this study may be carried out to include more TeachTokerists, and the room to learn more about the experiences of TeachTokerists who produce educational content also remains open.