The Role of Video Streaming Platforms in Shaping Learner/Teacher Identity and Cultural Learning
With Prof. Dr. Julian Ernst, Giessen
Project Description
Video streaming platforms and their algorithmic recommendation engines increasingly shape how young people encounter media, raising the question of what this means for those training to become English teachers. This project investigates the role of anglophone content in the identity development of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher students.
Project Details
The research combines quantitative surveys with qualitative interviews and focus groups, capturing the interplay between algorithmic curation, media consumption, and professional identity construction. Both strands of data were collected from a sample of EFL teacher students across multiple German universities, capturing their awareness of recommendation engines alongside their lived experiences with anglophone streaming content.
Bringing the survey results into conversation with these in-depth qualitative findings makes visible how algorithmic curation shapes the cultural and linguistic environments of future teachers, offering a window onto the broader intersection of media socialization, technological mediation, and the professional identity development of aspiring educators.