From virality to pedagogy: a systematic and comprehensive review of TikTok's educational use in South America
[EN]TikTok’s rise invites scrutiny of its educational value, yet evidence from South America remains fragmented. This study synthesizes South-American research on TikTok-mediated learning to (i) map thematic and methodological trends and (ii) quantify reported learning gains. A PRISMA-guided search...
| Autores: | , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2026 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universidad de Salamanca (USAL) |
| Repositorio: | GREDOS. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Salamanca |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:gredos.usal.es:10366/170169 |
| Acceso en línea: | http://hdl.handle.net/10366/170169 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Digital education Educational communication EduTok South America Tik Tok 5801.07 Métodos Pedagógicos 5802.04 Niveles y Temas de Educación 5802.06 Análisis, Realización de Modelos y Planificación Estadística 5701.11 Enseñanza de Lenguas 5801.01 Medios Audiovisuales |
| Sumario: | [EN]TikTok’s rise invites scrutiny of its educational value, yet evidence from South America remains fragmented. This study synthesizes South-American research on TikTok-mediated learning to (i) map thematic and methodological trends and (ii) quantify reported learning gains. A PRISMA-guided search of Scopus, Web of Science, SciELO and Latindex (2018–2025) yielded 1 695 records; after screening, 26 peer-reviewed studies met the inclusion criteria. Narrative synthesis traced conceptual patterns, while a meta-analytical substudy aggregated effect data from the 15 papers that reported quantitative outcomes. Research clusters around four application do-mains: language learning, science/health communication, reading & digital storytelling, and civic-environmental education. Most interventions occur in secondary and higher-education settings and employ challenge-based or duet/stitch tasks that lever-age TikTok’s multimodal affordances for motivation and identity work. Meta-analytic pooling—limited by under-reporting of descriptive statistics— nevertheless identified large pre/post differences associated with speaking accuracy (d = 2.13) and moderate pre/post differences related to emotionalintelligence clarity (Wilcoxon p < 0.05). Qualitative evidence corroborates heightened engagement, peer collaboration and critical-media literacy, but also flags persistent digital divides, algorithmic bias and scant research in primary, indigenous and community contexts. Heterogeneous designs and incomplete statistical reporting re-strict generalizability. Future studies should adopt longitudinal, multi-site experiments and open-data practices to enable robust meta-analysis. Effective use of TikTok hinges on intentional instructional design: clear learning objectives, equity centered access strategies and critical-digitalliteracy scaffolds that mitigate platform bias. This is the first systematic review and meta-analysis focused exclusively on TikTok’s educational applications in South America. It provides an evidence-based agenda for researchers and practitioners seeking to harness platform-native cultures while addressing the region’s sociotechnical inequalities. |
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