Is Social Media the New Classroom? : A study on the impact of YouTube on language comprehension of Swedish students of English

Abstract: In this study, the possible impact YouTube can have on students reading and listening comprehension in English is investigated. In order to identify this possible impact, two main research questions were asked, analysed and answered. The sample group researched in the study consisted of 123 students in the 8th grade at an intermediate school in Sweden. Two surveys, one listening comprehension test and one reading comprehension test, were submitted to the sample group. Based on the results and the discussion, some conclusions could be drawn. Students who spend an average amount of time on YouTube seem to perform at a higher level regarding reading and listening comprehension. However, students who spend a lot of time on YouTube did not perform at the highest level of proficiency, making it difficult to determine with absolute certainty how extensive the correlation between social media and language comprehension is.