From Silence to Speaking Live: A Self-Directed Live Streaming Autoethnography

Rusmanto Rusmanto, Andi Rachmawati Syarif, Faridawati Faridawati

Abstract


Live streaming offers a real-time, interactive space for autonomous English speaking practice, yet most research evaluates its outcomes through proficiency scores rather than learners’ lived experience while practicing. This study used autoethnography to examine how self-directed speaking practice through TikTok Live shaped the researcher’s own speaking development and to identify its positive and negative impacts. Data were collected over several weeks through reflective journals, session recordings, and personal notes, then analyzed using reflective thematic analysis. Findings show that consistent practice improved fluency and linguistic complexity while strengthening awareness of recurring language patterns and errors, reduced speaking anxiety through repeated exposure, and transformed the researcher’s identity from a silent, hesitant learner into a confident digital speaker. However, it also produced psychological pressure from rising viewer counts, vulnerability to negative comments, cognitive fatigue after long sessions, and dependence on social validation. Live streaming is thus an effective but emotionally demanding medium for speaking practice, requiring structured and reflective use.

Keywords


Live Streaming, Speaking Skills, Speaking Anxiety, Autoethnography, Digital Learning

References


Akay, M., & Ferronato, T. (2025). ‘Going live’with language learning: exploring self-regulated language learning (SRLL) strategies on twitch. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2025.2481490

Armstrong, J. L. (2014). The practice of autoethnography. In J. Burkholder & J. Edwards (Eds.), The process of qualitative research: A holistic approach. SAGE Publications.

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101.

Chen, Y., Lasecki, W. S., & Dong, T. (2021). Towards supporting programming education at scale via live streaming. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 4(CSCW3), 1-19.

Cirocki, A., & Widodo, H. P. (2019). Reflective practice in English language teaching in Indonesia: Shared practices from two teacher educators. Iranian Journal of Language Teaching Research, 7(3), 15–35.

Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2016). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.

Ellis, C., & Bochner, A. P. (2023). The human experience of digital immersion: Autoethnography in the modern age. Routledge.

Ellis, C., Adams, T. E., & Bochner, A. P. (2010). Autoethnography: An overview. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 12(1).

Fang, J., Park, J., Kim, J., & Wang, H. C. (2024). EduLive: Re-Creating Cues for Instructor-Learners Interaction in Educational Live Streams with Learners' Transcript-Based Annotations. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 8(CSCW2), 1-33. https://doi.org/10.1145/3686960

Global EdTech Report. (2024). The shift to digital: Language learning trends among young adults. Global EdTech Insights.

Han, R., Alibakhshi, G., Lu, L., & Labbafi, A. (2024). Digital communication activities and EFL learners' willingness to communicate and engagement: Exploring the intermediate language learners’ perceptions. Heliyon, 10(3).

Horwitz, E. K., Horwitz, M. B., & Cope, J. (1986). Foreign language classroom anxiety. The Modern Language Journal, 70(2), 125–132.

Huang, H. W. (2021). Effects of smartphone-based collaborative vlog projects on EFL learners’ speaking performance and learning engagement. Australasian journal of educational technology, 37(6), 18-40. https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.6623

Jin, S. (2024). Speaking proficiency and affective effects in EFL: Vlogging as a social media‐integrated activity. British Journal of Educational Technology, 55(2), 586-604. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13381

Lai, Y., Saab, N., & Admiraal, W. (2022). Learning strategies in self-directed language learning using mobile technology in higher education: A systematic scoping review. Education and Information Technologies, 27(6), 7749-7780. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-10945-5

Language Learning Analytics. (2023). Speaking confidence and digital practice: A comprehensive survey. LLA Research Press.

Long, M. H. (2015). SLA simplified: Essential components of a theory. In The Routledge handbook of educational linguistics (pp. 317–331). Routledge.

MacIntyre, P. D., Clément, R., Dörnyei, Z., & Noels, K. A. (1998). Conceptualizing willingness to communicate in a L2: A situational model of L2 confidence and affiliation. The Modern Language Journal, 82(4), 545–562. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.1998.tb05543.x

Melchor-Couto, S. (2017). Foreign language anxiety levels in Second Life oral interaction. ReCALL, 29(1), 99-119. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0958344016000185

Negi, S., & Mitra, R. (2022). Native language subtitling of educational videos: A multimodal analysis with eye tracking, EEG and self‐reports. British Journal of Educational Technology, 53(6), 1793-1816. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13214

Norton, B. (2013). Identity and language learning: Extending the conversation (2nd ed.). Multilingual Matters.

Peng, J. (2025). Communicative competence in the digital era: Spontaneity and context in English speaking skills. Oxford University Press.

Shafipour, R., Jafari, S., & Ghasemi, A. (2018). Exploring students’ speaking skills through interaction in online learning communities: A network analysis. Digital Education Review, 33, 114–130.

Streaming Insights Report. (2023). Engagement metrics in language learning streams. Digital Media Research Center.

Swain, M. (2005). The output hypothesis: Theory and research. In E. Hinkel (Ed.), Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning (pp. 471–484). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Teng, L. S. (2023). Metacognitive instruction in language learning. In The Routledge encyclopedia of second language acquisition. Routledge.

Ur, P. (1996). A course in language teaching: Practice and theory. Cambridge University Press.

Uştuk, Ö. (2025). A transnational language teacher educator's autoethnographic pursuit of reflexivity in Hong Kong. TESOL journal, 16(1), e888. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.888

Van Ha, X., Nguyen, L. T., & Hung, B. P. (2021). Oral corrective feedback in English as a foreign language classrooms: A teaching and learning perspective. Heliyon, 7(7). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07550

Wall, S. (2008). Easier said than done: Writing an autoethnography. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 7(1), 38–53. https://doi.org/10.1177/160940690800700103

Wang, G., & Zhang, Y. (2021). From" study with me" to study with you: how activities of Study With Me livestream on Bilibili facilitate SRL community. arXiv preprint arXiv:2108.00637. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2108.00637

Wang, H., Zhang, L., & Chen, Y. (2023). The efficacy of live streaming vs. traditional video-based learning: An experimental study on oral proficiency. Modern Language Journal, 107(4), 412–430.

Wang, Z., & Han, F. (2021). Developing English language learners’ oral production with a digital game-based mobile application. Plos one, 16(1), e0232671. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0232671

Yusuf, F & Ali, A. (2023). Exploring students’ perspectives on using live streaming on Facebook as project-based learning in Indonesian EFL classes. Journal on English as a Foreign Language, 13(1), 56-77. https://doi.org/10.23971/jefl.v13i1.4571

Zhang, J. (2025). A Comprehensive Framework for Interactive Remote Chinese Language Teaching. International Journal of Knowledge Management (IJKM), 21(1), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.4018/IJKM.369152

Zhang, Y. (2024). The influence of practice contexts on L2 learners’ compliment responses: Telecollaborative video-based practice versus face-to-face practice. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 37(7), 2174-2201. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2022.2152054

Zhou, S., Chiu, M. M., & Dong, Z. (2024). Second language pupils’ anxiety and motivation: A meta-analysis. Current Psychology, 43(10), 9404-9421. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-05066-2




DOI: https://doi.org/10.31004/jele.v%25vi%25i.3244

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2026 Rusmanto Rusmanto, Andi Rachmawati Syarif, Faridawati Faridawati

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.