Impact of YouTube as Educational Media on Students’ Learning Interest at SMK N 1 Padangsidimpuan

Abstract

This study investigated the significant impact of YouTube as educational media on students’ learning interest at SMK N 1 Padangsidimpuan. Previous research has mostly focused on learning outcomes, while evidence on learning interest in English learning has remained limited. A quantitative approach with a quasi-experimental non-equivalent control group design was employed. The population was all Marketing class students, and the sample consisted of 66 students from class X Marketing 1 (experimental group, 33 students) and class X Marketing 2 (control group, 33 students). Data were collected using a closed-ended questionnaire administered as a pre-test and a post-test, based on four indicators of learning interest: feeling of enjoyment, curiosity/attraction, attention, and involvement/participation. The data were analysed through the Shapiro-Wilk normality test, N-Gain analysis, the Paired Sample T-Test, and the Mann-Whitney U Test. The experimental group’s mean score increased from 67.79 in the pre-test to 88.88 in the post-test (a gain of 21.09 points), with a mean N-Gain of 0.64 (medium category), while the control group improved only from 70.91 to 72.06 (+1.15 points), with a mean N-Gain of 0.035 (low category). The Paired Sample T-Test for the experimental group yielded a significance value of 0.000 (p<0.05), and the Mann-Whitney U Test on the post-test scores of both groups also yielded 0.000 (p<0.05), with a mean rank of 49.38 for the experimental group against 17.62 for the control group. The alternative hypothesis was therefore accepted and the null hypothesis rejected. The study concluded that YouTube had a significant positive impact on students’ learning interest in English learning compared to conventional learning, and that English teachers should consider integrating YouTube as a supplementary learning medium.