This qualitative case study explores how Thai students in the English Education Study Program at a private university in Yogyakarta utilize digital media to enhance their English speaking skills. Through semi-structured interviews with a sixth-semester Thai student, the study investigates the adoption of platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, focusing on their effectiveness, perceived benefits, and challenges within the Thai cultural and educational context. Thematic analysis revealed key themes: adoption of digital media, motivational factors, effective learning strategies, social learning benefits, contextual learning, and technical and linguistic barriers. Findings indicate that digital media provides accessible, authentic, and flexible learning opportunities, enabling students to overcome cultural shyness and improve pronunciation, fluency, and pragmatic competence. Interactions with native speakers and peers via social media further enhance confidence and cultural awareness. However, challenges such as unreliable internet connectivity and difficulties with diverse English accents highlight the need for supportive infrastructure and broader linguistic exposure. The study underscores digital media’s potential to address Thai students’ unique needs, offering insights for integrating these tools into formal curricula to improve English speaking proficiency. This research contributes to the literature on technology-enhanced language learning and provides actionable recommendations for educators supporting Thai learners in higher education.
Alfaridhi et al. (Sat,) studied this question.