Google Classroom: Malaysian University Students’ Attitudes towards Its Use as Learning Management System

Abstract

Education in the 21 st century is heavily influenced by information and communication technology. The advancement of the Internet has enabled learning to be conducted online, which offers many advantages. Online learning is commonly managed using a learning management system (LMS), the most widely used being Google Classroom. Studies have shown that Google Classroom"s ease of use, usefulness, and helpfulness have been viewed by learners around the world positively. However, studies involving Malaysian learners are sparse. To close the gap in the literature, the present study examined Malaysian university students" attitudes towards the use of Google Classroom as LMS. Research method employed was quantitative descriptive research. Participants were 89 students from a public university in Terengganu, Malaysia, who were taking an English course. They were mostly female (71%) and between 20 and 23 years old. They had attended face-to-face learning sessions for five weeks before the Covid-19 pandemic necessitated the classes to be held online completely. Participants then completed nine weeks of online learning on Google Classroom. To obtain participants" feedback, they were requested to fill out a Google Form questionnaire, which asked them to rate on a five-point Likert scale their perceptions of Google Classroom"s ease of use and usefulness as well as their intention to continue using the platform. Based on the results, participants" views of Google Classroom were very positive. It can be suggested that participants found Google Classroom easy to use, useful, and worth using.

Google Classroom: Understanding EFL Students’ Attitudes towards Its Use as an Online Learning Platform

“…It can be suggested that, although participants did not rate their intention to use Google Classroom as high as the other two factors, they were nevertheless satisfied with the features available in the platform and felt motivated to continue using it. In comparison with the results from a recent study by Putra (2020) and Kassim (2021), participants in the present study rated their intention to use Google Classroom much higher. One of the similar items in both the present study and in Putra's study was on recommending the use of Google Classroom for other courses.…”

“…In contrast to the study of Putra (2020) and Wan (2020), participants in this study rated Google Classroom concerning its usefulness much higher. The average mean of Putra (2020) in its usefulness was only 3.22 and of Kassim (2021) was 3.92.…”

Perception of Students on the Use of Google Classroom for Educational Purposes

“…The study is also in agreement with those of Kassim (2021), who found that Google classroom is highly useful in that it helped them be more productive, allowed them to access materials conveniently and submit assignments quickly, and enabled them to interact with the lecturer and other students. They also indicated their high intention to use Google classroom.…”

“…Teachers have full control over student comments and posts. They can communicate with parents through individual e-mails or through classroom e-mail summaries which include class announcements and due dates (Kassim, 2021). 6.…”

Google Classroom Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic in Indonesian Elementary Schools: Teachers’ Perceptions and Motivation

“…Google Classroom is a form of digital educational technology developed specifically to support teachers in conducting educational activities, such as sending and distributing learning materials, creating virtual classroom, monitoring students' learning progress, engaging students in a discussion activity, doing online grading or giving learning feedback through chat column [33]- [35]. Furthermore, teachers and students can benefit from this platform as it can easily and ubiquitously be accessed as long as they have devices connected to the Internet [7].…”