Current Research on Educational YouTube Content & How to Use It to Your Advantage
Introduction
YouTube is the largest and longest-running social media platform for sharing video content produced by corporations and amateurs alike. Videos can be found on virtually any topic with music videos and gaming content being amongst the most viewed (Ceci, 2022). However, educational content also constitutes a substantial portion of content published and viewed on the platform. Much research has been conducted relating to educational content and science communication on social media and YouTube specifically, especially in recent years. In this essay, I shall dive into this research to better understand how this part of YouTube has affected how we as a society learn. More specifically, I shall look at the nuances between formal, non-formal, and informal learning, the benefits and drawbacks of edutainment, as well as the phenomena of procrastination on YouTube and addiction to the platform. I will also explore which learners benefit most from low-barrier educational content on YouTube and whether it actually leads to a more equal and educated society. Finally, I shall share some recommendations on how to leverage this expansive and diverse free educational resource for the benefit of the reader's own learning.
Formal, Non-formal, and Informal Learning on YouTube
The topic of educational content on YouTube is broad and encompasses a variety of distinct learning demographics and contexts. Let’s start by breaking these down in order to understand them better.
First, we may wish to distinguish whether we are discussing the use of YouTube videos in a formal, informal, or non-formal context. By informal I mean learning that is learner controlled, exploratory, or spontaneous rather than mandated by an educational institution, as is the case in formal education. On the other hand, non-formal education indicates learning which is motivated, structured, and controlled by means outside of school, e.g. by peers, mentors, or media. Greenhow and Lewin (2016) also argue it is not possible nor desirable to fully separate formal, non-formal, and informal learning, especially in the context of social media and education. For this reason, they propose a theoretical model for describing varying attributes of formality and informality within specific social media mediated learning situations. The attribute balance within a learning context is given by the varying focus on purpose (intentional/unintentional), process (e.g. lecture or assessment design), location (at home vs. at school), and content (learning fun facts vs. out of necessity) (Colley et al., 2003).
All of the aforementioned contexts of learning are present in the way students learn from YouTube content and they may even overlap. A teacher playing a YouTube video in class, embedding it in the study materials, or assigning it as homework would be typical examples of YouTube used in a formal learning context. On the other hand, following a YouTube channel dedicated to teaching French and sharing facts about French geography and culture because one intends to move to France is an example of use in a non-formal context. However, if someone else with no particular need or use for knowledge about France spontaneously watches a video from the same channel, we would be referring to informal learning on the platform.
Another aspect important to take into account is the demographic. The affordances of learning with the aid of social media will be quite different between secondary school children, university students, and working professionals. Here too we can make the distinction between formal learning and lifelong learning, a form of non-formal learning in the terminology above.
The research does make these distinctions, though they do not always use the same theoretical framework introduced above. Of the researchers concentrating on educational videos as a medium supporting the formal education of students, I can list e.g. Aldallal et al. (2019) who examine YouTube as a learning resource in oral surgery among undergraduate dental students, or Rayenda et al. (2019) who examine the benefits of YouTube videos for undergraduate students in engineering and technology in India. Otchie et al. (2021) focus on the use of social media by teachers in formal contexts and describe its pedagogical affordances, they found that YouTube was used in lessons most frequently. The use of YouTube videos in non-formal learning is described e.g. by Prestridge et al. (2021) who examine how ICT expert teachers use social media for their own professional development. Research on spontaneous informal affordances is comparatively underexplored by the research, nevertheless, an example of research in this area would be the work of Vizcaíno-Verdú et al. (2018) on BookTube, a YouTube community for sharing book recommendations and reviews in a video blog format. The authors argue that this is a major way in which youth informally learn to interpret, describe, compare and reflect on literature and gain a love for reading.
Why does it matter? It is evident, that the learning process and outcomes in each of these situations will likely be quite different, each of them with its own benefits and drawbacks. This must be taken into account when designing research to evaluate educational content on social media sites as well as in designing coursework utilizing them.
The Pros and Cons of Edutainment
One of the most obvious concerns regarding educational content on YouTube is, that it can be uploaded by anyone with no guarantee of quality and reliability.
Scholarly articles do address concerns regarding the reliability of the information provided in YouTube videos, as done e.g. by Hawryluk et al. (2021) who examine the quality of videos with medical information specifically about the Frailty Syndrome on YouTube. The quality of the videos coraleted with the authority publishing the video and was found to be mostly good, however, they analyze a highly specialized subset of educational YouTube videos and these conclusions can not be extrapolated.
YouTube is home to a full spectrum of content raging from academically rigorous conference recordings and science communication backed by world-class research institutions to videos purely opinion-based, or worse factually incorrect or even purposefully misleading. In order for a learner to reliably navigate this digital landscape, they require developed media literacy skills, which not all learners have.
Aside from concerns about the factual quality of such content, the presentation style of amateur and enthusiast educational content creators is dramatically different from that which is more traditionally employed in formal education. It has been found, that edutainment videos are perceived as less trustworthy than the ones employing traditional narrative methods, however, videos in an edutainment style receive more views and viewers remember more from them, it can therefore be an appropriate format for science communication (Davis et al., 2020). Godwin et al. (2017) came to the same conclusion when they analyzed public comments on a viral schizophrenia simulation video on YouTube. The three-minute video was able to reach a broad audience and was received mostly positively, leading to a better understanding of the topic from the public even without funding for marketing.
Bello-Bravo et al. (2021) were also interested in whether edutainment on YouTube works. They set out to identify the factors that affect the impact of Internet-delivered informal learning. Specifically, they evaluated the impact of short animated videos from the YouTube channel Scientific Animations Without Borders of the Michigan State University in the US. It was shown that YouTube’s analytical and statistical metrics do correlate to awareness, consideration, and action, even though further research is needed in understanding the cultural significance of actions like subscribing, liking, and commenting, and the effect aspects such as gender and English level of the speaker have on these metrics in animated versus live videos.
Abdulhadi Shoufan (2019) found that content understanding seems to be the most relevant reason for liking an educational video on YouTube, the number of likes could therefore be used as a rough measure of the viewer perceived cognitive value and usefulness of the video.
However, one of the flaws of many studies analyzing educational videos on social media sites, including the aforementioned ones, is that they assume a straightforward correlation between having more information and being more knowledgeable, which does not have to be the case, especially in the long term. (Kohler and Dietrich, 2021)
Procrastination: the Dark Side of YouTube
A common drawback identified in the research on the use of social media for educational purposes is that content on social media distracts from educational goals. Procrastination is the voluntary postponing of important tasks leading to low productivity which is often accompanied by feelings of guilt and shame. Procrastination can be a serious obstacle preventing students from achieving their academic goals and result in a self-defeating mindset (Klobas et al., 2018). Social media sites, including YouTube, do not optimize for the well-being of their users but rather for increasing the time they spend on the platform. The algorithm is therefore in direct opposition to the objectives of learners engaging with educational content purposely.
Klobas et al. (2018) problematize the predominantly positive view of the literature on YouTube as a self-directed educational tool and explore how users themselves view their YouTube usage and whether they consider it to be problematic or even addicting. Problematic use of the platform often correlates with extensive use (time spent on the platform is substantially above average for a given demographic). A common form of problematic use is compulsive use, which is extensive use due to a lack of self-control. In order to classify an attachment to a social media platform as addictive, it must be not only compulsive but also accompanied by a preoccupation with the platform and harmful to the wellbeing of the user. The authors use the qualitative methodology of user life stories to better understand all of the aforementioned forms of YouTube usage. A strong theme underlying all narratives of YouTube user stories was the perceived value of informal learning, whether for professional work, hobbies, or general interest. The main difference between functional and dysfunctional users was their ability to regulate their use (more so than the total hours spent on the platform). Addicted users reported, that their YouTube usage has negatively affected their social life and relationships, general health, and academic achievements. This distinguishes them from compulsive users, which are able to minimize the negative consequences of their procrastination on the platform.
Do Free Educational Videos Actually Make Knowledge More Accessible to All?
One of the biggest advantages of educational content on YouTube is its accessibility. The knowledge and study materials are not behind a paywall nor hidden on a platform the learners have never heard of and do not know how to navigate. Instead, it is conveniently integrated into the online spaces they already frequent. The barrier to entry for digital media can hardly be much lower than that. This argument is used, for example, by one of the largest and best-known educational channels, Crash Course. In their current fundraising campaign, they proclaim their aim is to consistently lower the barriers to education and to do so not only for free, but in a way that is accurate, effective, and compelling (Crash Course Coin, 2022).
As idyllic as this sounds, Kohler and Dietrich (2021) use The Knowledge Gap Hypothesis to argue that educational content on YouTube in reality usually perpetuates existing socio-economic inequalities. The Knowledge Gap Hypothesis emphasizes the differences in knowledge growth between groups. Factors such as a learner’s existing knowledge, communication skills, and social contact affect how much they learn through online video even in an otherwise low barrier learning environment. Media literacy is also a major consideration in regards to learning on platforms such as YouTube, learners must have developed information-seeking and evaluation skills as well as basic computer literacy for it to be a viable tool for independent informal learning. However, learners from disadvantaged backgrounds are likely to be disadvantaged also in these areas compared to their more privileged peers, and thus the existing socio-economic divide is deepened.
The Learning Styles Model offers a more favorable view on YouTube in regard to bridging inequalities between students. The model emphasizes differences between individuals, rather than groups. People have different learning preferences and the format in which educational content is provided affects the efficiency of learning. It has been shown that students with a dominant visual mode gravitate toward video more, the medium can also be highly efficient for kinesthetic learners if experiments are shown. Learners with an auditory preference for learning can also benefit from online lectures and to some extent also discussions in the comment section. (Kohler and Dietrich, 2021)
Conclusion
YouTube is a massive social media platform and the already enormous amount of user-generated content on it continues to grow daily. The research and users themselves agree that YouTube provides access to content that is highly valuable not only as entertainment but also as an educational resource. The affordances provided by the platform are evident in formal, non-formal, and informal learning alike. Educational YouTube videos can assist the learning of students with different learning preferences. While the quality of the educational videos varies and depends on their authorship, the quality was mostly found to be good. Moreover, the engaging and entertaining format allows for a greater reach of the information and students remember more from them compared to more traditional forms of information communication. YouTube analytics has also been shown to be a decent indicator of the impact of educational content. For these reasons, YouTube videos can be a powerful educational tool.
However, no tool is without drawbacks. We have discussed how online educational videos can deepen the existing socio-economic divide between learners, as well as the threat of building bad use habits leading to procrastination and even an addiction to the endless stream of content on the platform.
Recommendations for Learning on YouTube
Now that we are up to date on the research relating to educational videos on YouTube, what are the practical takeaways? How can we be functional users of the platform and avoid compulsory procrastination and addiction? How do we know the things we learn are true? And how can we optimally blend our formal, non-formal, and informal learning? I am afraid neither I nor the research has a fully satisfactory answer, nevertheless, here are my recommendations:
- Actively develope your media literacy and don’t forget to put your skills to use - staying critical, inquiring about who is behind the creation of the video and what their qualifications and motivations are, checking the evidence and sources they cite to back their claims, and watching out for inflammatory and emotionally charged content will get you a long way to estimating the reliability of an educational video on youtube. It also never hurts to check the comments to see if any viewers are pointing out inaccuracies.
- Take control of your social media bubble - once you have discovered educational YouTube channels whose authority you trust, make sure to subscribe. Pick carefully ones that align with your learning goals and interests. Don’t forget to also unsubscribe to channels you are no longer interested in or find unreliable. While YouTube does not respect subscriptions entirely, telling the algorithm what you want to see is helpful in curating your own social media bubble. It also helps to use the Subscriptions feed instead of the entirely algorithmic feed in Home.
- Track your time spent on YouTube - be conscious of how you use the platform. While excessive time spent on the platform does not mean your use is dysfunctional, listen to your loved ones if they say it is. Self-control in selecting videos to watch is the biggest differentiation between functional and dysfunctional users. If you feel you are wasting time on the platform rather than learning or relaxing, or that you are watching YouTube videos instead of working on things important to you, consider using a page blocker to regain control over your free time.
References
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Crash Course Coin (2022). Crash Course. https://crashcoursecoin.com/
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