Learning Analytics Research · Real-world Data

Learning Analytics in Practice

StudyTok and the Pressure to Perform - a Learning Analytics Case Study

Key Project Highlights

The opportunity

Digital study culture has exploded in influence over the past few years particularly through "StudyTok," a genre of short-form video content showcasing intensive study routines. While engaging and motivating on the surface, this content raises real questions about student mental wellbeing, comparison culture, and the gap between aesthetic productivity and genuine learning. This project explores that intersection using a mixed methods learning analytics approach, analysing over 987 real comments from a StudyTok YouTube compilation to understand how students themselves experience and respond to this content.

AT A GLANCE

WHAT I DID

KEY FINDINGS

"StudyTok makes me feel lazy, I can't keep up with 5 AM routines."

Representative comment from the analysed dataset. This mirrors Goldie's (2016) warning that digital learning can prioritise aesthetics over effectiveness.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Professional relevance

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REFLECTION

This was the project that most clearly demonstrated to me why learning design and learning analytics cannot be separated. Analysing nearly a thousand genuine student comments forced me to confront an uncomfortable truth, that well-intentioned digital culture can still cause real harm if it isn't critically examined. It deepened my commitment to designing learning experiences that prioritise student wellbeing alongside performance, and gave me hands-on fluency in sentiment analysis and data-informed educational research that I now bring to every design decision I make.