Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition through Inspirational YouTube Shorts among Uzbek Adolescents
Mirzaeva Kamila Muhammad-Boburovna
11/08/2026
This study investigates how 15–16-year-old students in Uzbekistan learn new vocabulary and informal English expressions outside the classroom through inspirational YouTube Shorts and their comment sections. While previous research has highlighted that incidental vocabulary learning is prominent in digital contexts, few studies have explored short-form motivational content combined with learner interaction in comments. Eighteen participants watched four selected Shorts and completed a structured questionnaire about their engagement and vocabulary noticing. Results indicate that students reliably recognized concrete and emotionally transparent expressions, but abstract phrases associated with identity development were often misinterpreted or understood only partially. Comment sections functioned as secondary input that sometimes supported comprehension and vocabulary noticing, although engagement with comments was generally limited. Emotional relevance and personal connection to video content enhanced attentional focus and lexical retention, suggesting that motivational content can facilitate incidental learning when language is meaningfully embedded. However, individual differences in learning preferences moderated these effects. The findings highlight both the potential and limitations of short-form online videos as tools for informal vocabulary acquisition, emphasizing the need to consider content type, cognitive load, and learner interaction.