Multimodal Identity Work and Value Construction in English-Language TikTok Edutainment: A Discourse Analysis Perspective

Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to explore how English-language TikTok edutainment creators construct their multimodal identities and articulate value-laden messages that resonate with audiences. The analysis focuses on the ways linguistic choices, visual arrangements, gesture, gaze, and narrative framing work together to convey orientations toward learning, effort, discipline, and responsible digital participation. By examining these patterns, the study seeks to understand how character-related meanings are produced and circulated within short-form educational content.

Method: The research adopts a qualitative multimodal discourse analysis informed by Bucholtz and Hall’s identity framework and mediated discourse theory. A purposive sample of videos from a single established English-learning creator was collected over a six-week period. Each video was segmented and coded for semiotic resources including verbal language, prosody, gesture, visual text, symbolic icons, and interactional cues. Analytical steps included transcription, multimodal mapping, and interpretive thematic synthesis to trace how identity positions and value messages emerge across modes.

Findings: The analysis shows that creators routinely blend authoritative stances with approachable humor to project identities that students perceive as trustworthy yet relatable. Visual emphasis, repeated metaphors, and embodied cues are used to highlight values such as persistence, self-regulation, and growth-oriented learning. The videos also display interactional strategies that invite reciprocal engagement, positioning audiences as active participants in learning rather than passive viewers. These patterns reveal a coherent system of identity work that embeds subtle but consistent character-forming messages.

Significance: The study contributes to current debates on sustainable digital pedagogy by demonstrating that micro-videos can serve as meaningful spaces for value construction. The findings offer implications for educators and policymakers seeking to integrate character education into emerging digital platforms in ethically grounded ways.