Teacher as a YouTuber: Investigating Teacher-Generated Asynchronous Videos, Students’ Engagement, and the Teacher-Student Relationship

Abstract

This qualitative case study explores the use of teacher-generated videos uploaded on YouTube and their influences on teacher-middle school students’ relationships in social science classes in Istanbul, Turkey. The teacher has prepared twelve videos for eighty students in four different classrooms for three months. The videos’ content and language were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Interviews were held with the teacher and ten randomly chosen students. The data generated through the interviews were analysed using inductive thematic analysis by two Turkish-English speaking researchers. The video content analysis revealed that media richness, manipulation of self, and informality had played a central role in student engagement and their attitude towards the teacher and the lessons. The language used in the videos had a conversational tone, including humour and prompts, which attracted the students’ attention and created a sense of community. The nature of teacher-generated videos achieved parental engagement and a sense of pride and positively impacted the classroom climate.