The effects of using short videos on language motivation and acquisition in English as a foreign language

The main purpose of this study is to explore the effects of using short videos on language motivation and acquisition in English as a foreign language. Therefore, three research questions have been constructed to gather data on the subject: Research Question 1: How and why do teachers use short videos?, Research Question 2: To what extent do short videod contribute to language acquisition? and Research Question 3: To what extent do short videos increase the motivation of students? Interpretative Phenomenological Approach as a qualitative method has been applied in order to gather data on the attitudes of teachers and students. Two questiannaires including close and open-ended questions have been designed and the data has been collected from 10 English teachers and 20 students from the same private high school. The questionnaire for teachers has been intended to gather data on the demograhic profile and the three main research questions; Research Question 1: How and why do teachers use short videos?, Research Question 2: To what extent do short videos contribute to language acquisition? and Question 3: To what extent do short videos increase the motivation of students? The questionnaire for students has also been aimed to collect data regarding the demographic profile and two of the research questions: Research Question 2: To what extent do short videos contribute to language acquisition? and Research Question 3: To what extent do short videos increase the motivation of students? As a result, it has been concluded that teachers are aware of the potential of using short videos as resourceful input and exploit them to teach the target language. Moreover, it has been concluded that short videos enable inclusive and interactive activities and enhance the motivation and engagement of students. Furthermore, it has been found out that exploiting short videos in lesson especially boosts listening and speaking skills, indirectly contributes to critical thinking, writing and reading skills and improves grammar and vocabulary knowledge. Key words: short videos, motivation, second language acquisition