YouTube : its use by primary school children and class teachers

Abstract

Purpose: Over the years, YouTube gained its popularity all over the globe with Malta being no exception. The latest statistics as published by Alexa.com (2018) feature YouTube.com as one of top 5 websites visited daily by our locals. With a variety of videos being uploaded on this platform every minute, this website has so much to offer for everyone. Not excluding that this website attracts adult users, much of YouTube’s popularity is also gained from children. This research study set out to explore and examine what young primary school users are watching on YouTube.com and the integration of YouTube videos in the primary school classroom setup. Design: The research design chosen was of a qualitative nature. It was based on an analysis of pre-existing literature and qualitative data that was gathered through 8 observation sessions and semi-structured interviews. This was the most appropriate data gathering tool since it provided meaningful information from personal experiences” (Creswell J. W., 2014). Findings included the awareness of the range of videos and features offered by YouTube and also means and ways classroom teachers are integrating YouTube videos during the lessons. The data collected was analysed, coded to extract commonality and later organised into themes. Value: There is an increasing need for educators to “evolve to more current technologies” in order to provide the best teaching-learning context for contemporary students (McCormick et al, 2010). Technology is constantly changing and to stay relevant in the 21st century classroom, educators need to confidently implement digital and technological knowledge into their teaching. As suggested in previous literature, this topic is of importance to education as successful use of YouTube during the lessons engages and motivates the students. Despite its importance, not much attention was paid to the local context. Findings: This study indicated the students’ preferences and likings on this videobased platform. It was highlighted that students do make use of this website using their own personal devices to watch videos, usually, for recreational purposes. In addition, the use of YouTube in the classroom was highlighted as a tool for learning. Conclusion: Based on the research results, it can be concluded that the students are active users on this site, are well-informed on how YouTube works and are interested when their class teacher makes use of YouTube videos during the lessons; they value its importance in the classroom for better understanding and as an interactive activity.