YouTube® for the 21st-century English language E-learning: What Works and What Doesn’t?

Integrating ICT in the teaching of English as a foreign language is nothing new. ICT integration through Web 2.0, particularly the application of YouTube, is beneficial to ease the implementation process through an E-learning platform. However, the description of the milestone of the application of YouTube for EFL E-learning remains underexplored. Thus, this study explores the benefits and challenges of its application by conducting a qualitative systematic review of 14 published articles within the last 10 years from 2008-2019. Embracing that systematic review framework, the findings explain three main points: (1) YouTube and the development of EFL students' English language skills, (2) YouTube and the promotion of EFL students' soft skills, and (3) YouTube and the facilitation of EFL E-learning. This paper concludes with the importance of the findings for EFL teachers and practitioners to reconsider the implementation design of E-learning oriented to multi-literacy through YouTube as well as recommendations for future research.