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TikTok as a learning tool in higher education: Validation of a scale

Pablo Gálvez-Ruíz et al.

Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism Education2025https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhlste.2025.100548article
AJG 1ABDC B
Weight
0.52

Abstract

In our increasingly digitalized society, social media have emerged prominently within the educational landscape, fostering the creation of online and blended teaching-learning environments. Among these platforms, TikTok, renowned for its short dynamic videos featuring effects and music, stands out. Despite its growing popularity among youth and initial explorations of its pedagogical use by university educators, the educational benefits of TikTok remain largely unexplored. This gap is partly due to the absence of validated research tools to assess its potential educational impact. This study addresses this gap by adapting and validating a new scale, “TikTok-SportEdu”, with a sample of 250 Spanish sport sciences university students ( M = 22.56; SD = 3.55). The TikTok-SportEdu scale, comprising 15 items across three dimensions—1) TikTok as a university teaching-learning tool, 2) TikTok as a professional profile development tool, and 3) TikTok as a tool for interaction and staying informed about sport industry developments—demonstrates robust psychometric properties. The TikTok-SportEdu scale will enable educators, educational institutions, policymakers, and industry professionals to better understand the strategic use of TikTok in higher education, providing a reliable instrument for future research. • The TikTok-SportEdu scale is validated for assessing TikTok's educational impact. • The TikTok-SportEdu scale includes three key dimensions of use. • The scale aids in bridging the gap between academia and industry practices. • The scale is adaptable for various academic disciplines beyond sport sciences. • The TikTok-SportEdu scale opens avenues for future educational research.

7 citations

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhlste.2025.100548

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@article{pablo2025,
  title        = {{TikTok as a learning tool in higher education: Validation of a scale}},
  author       = {Pablo Gálvez-Ruíz et al.},
  journal      = {Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism Education},
  year         = {2025},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhlste.2025.100548},
}

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TikTok as a learning tool in higher education: Validation of a scale

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Evidence weight

0.52

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.47 × 0.4 = 0.19
M · momentum0.68 × 0.15 = 0.10
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.