TEACHERS READINESS AND BARRIERS IN USING THE VIRTUAL LEARNING

ENVIRONMENT (GOOGLE CLASSROOM) IN A PRIMARY CLASSROOM:

A SURVEY RESEARCH

PRIYADHAARSHINI A/P MAGENDRAN

R3
dhaarshini@gmail.com

ABSTRACT

This study aims to explore the teacher readiness and barriers in using the virtual learning
environment (Google Classroom) in a primary classroom. The aspects studied are divided
into two. The first is the teacher readiness in using the Google Classroom in primary
classroom and the second is the barriers in using Google classroom. The sample for this
study consisted of 30 primary school teachers from Ipoh and they were randomly selected
using the convenience sampling method. Questionnaire and interview were used as the
research instrument for this study. The data collected for this study was analysed using a
descriptive statistical analysis using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS).
The results of this study show that teachers' readiness to use Google Classroom is moderate.
Besides, the finding also indicates that the highest barriers faced by teachers in using Google
Classroom are barriers of lack of access and lack of time, followed by barriers to low
efficiency, barrier with effective training, and lack of confidence barrier. There were several
suggestions were given by the researcher for further conduct studies on this research.

Keywords: virtual learning environment (Google Classroom), teacher readiness, barriers

ABSTRAK

Kajian ini bertujuan untuk meneroka kesediaan guru dan halangan dalam menggunakan
persekitaran pembelajaran maya (Google Classroom) di bilik darjah di Ipoh. Aspek yang
dipelajari dibahagikan kepada dua. Yang pertama ialah kesediaan guru dalam menggunakan
Bilik Darjah Google di bilik darjah utama dan yang kedua adalah halangan dalam
menggunakan kelas Google. Sampel untuk kajian ini terdiri daripada 30 guru sekolah rendah
dari Ipoh dan mereka dipilih secara rawak menggunakan kaedah sampling kemudahan. Soal
selidik dan temuduga digunakan sebagai instrumen kajian untuk kajian ini. Data yang
dikumpul untuk kajian ini dianalisis dengan menggunakan analisis statistik deskriptif
menggunakan Paket Statistik untuk Sains Sosial (SPSS). Keputusan kajian ini menunjukkan
bahawa kesediaan guru untuk menggunakan Bilik Darjah Google adalah sederhana di Ipoh.
Selain itu, dapatan kajian juga menunjukkan bahawa halangan tertinggi yang dihadapi oleh
guru menggunakan Google Classroom adalah kekurangan akses dan kekurangan masa,
diikuti dengan kecekapan rendah, latihan yang berkesan, dan kekurangan keyakinan.
Terdapat beberapa cadangan yang dikemukakan oleh penyelidik untuk kajian lanjut
mengenai kajian ini.

Kata kunci: persekitaran pembelajaran maya (Google Classroom), kesediaan guru,

halangan
 INTRODUCTION

The concept of education experiences a major shift, in recent times,

from teacher-centered to student-centered. Earlier, teachers played the role of
knowledge suppliers, but now their role has extended. There is a lot of
emphasis on integrating technology in the classroom through innovative
teaching strategies that focus on enabling students to accomplish the desired
learning objectives (Hwang, Lai, & Wang, 2015). As indicated by Bolkan
(2015), technology encourages increasing student involvement which is
critical to obtain the desired learning objectives.

With regards to that the Ministry of Education replaced the Frog VLE to
Google Classroom to promote the teachers to use virtual learning
environment in their teaching and learning. Frog VLE was replaced after the
serious drawback of its usage among the teachers. The factors that lead to
the less usage of Frog VLE among the teachers is still not identified. However
Cheok, M. L., Wong, S. L., Ayub, A. F., & Mahmud, R. (2017), states that
Malaysian teachers are constantly challenged with many new technologies
that are believed to enable them to perform their job better. Thus, it is clear
that when the teachers are constantly being exposed to new technologies, it
takes time for them to accept the changes and apply it to their teaching and
learning. Therefore, the researcher the researcher conducted this study to
explore the teachers readiness in using virtual learning environment (Google
Classroom) in a primary classroom and the barriers that they face. The
research was conducted through a survey study to collect all the relevant data
for this study.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

Google classroom is one of the virtual channels that have been introduced by
the Ministry of Education to replace the previous virtual learning environment which is
known as Frog VLE. This approach needs to be implemented by teachers but the
questions arise: (i) Are the teachers prepared to implement this approach in
improving the quality of teaching and learning? (ii) Are the skills of teachers adequate
to use virtual learning known as the Google Classroom?
With the objective of increasing classroom effectiveness, teachers aim to enhance
student engagement by making student experience more independent and
personalized, a growing number of schools, colleges, and higher education institutes
are in the phase of adoption of blended learning in developing countries (Spring,
Graham, & Hadlock, 2016). Google Classroom can be used as a blended learning
tool to elevate classroom productivity. The lack of research on Google classroom,
specifically in the context of developing countries, has prompted the need to further
investigate the teacher’s acceptance of the tool. Using technology in an appropriate
manner is one of the biggest challenges for the teachers to manage in a blended
learning environment; therefore, this study is focused on assessing the primary
school teachers’ readiness and barriers in using Google classroom in the primary
ESL classroom.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study is to:

i. Identify the readiness of teachers to use Google Classroom in teaching and

learning in primary classroom.
ii. Identify the barriers faced by primary school teachers in using Google
Classroom in teaching and learning in primary classroom.

RESEARCH QUESTION

In this research, the researcher studied on two questions:

i. What is the readiness of teachers to use a virtual learning environment

(Google Classroom) in teaching and learning in primary classroom?
ii. What are the barriers faced by primary school teachers in using virtual
learning environment (Google Classroom) in teaching and learning in primary
classroom?

METHODOLOGY

The researcher conducted the study through a survey research. 30 primary school
teachers from various schools in Ipoh were selected as the respondents for this study
using the convenience sampling method. The researcher administered a
questionnaire and an interview to collect the data. The questionnaire is constructed
using items on the teacher readiness in using Google Classroom in a primary
classroom and the barriers faced by the teachers in using it. The research
instruments were validated by an English teacher with 10 years of teaching
experience. The reliability of the questionnaire was tested through a pilot study where
10 primary school teachers were randomly selected to answer the items in the
questionnaire. The information gathered through the pilot study was analysed by
Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. The results of the pilot
study showed an acceptable level of reliability above 0.8 which is 0.945. The
researcher then combined and analyse all the data collected using the SPSS
software. The data were analysed using the statistical analysis such as mean, mode
and standard deviation.
 FINDINGS & DISCUSSION

A. Teachers readiness in using virtual learning environment (Google

Classroom) in a primary classroom

The overall results of the analysis, the level of readiness of the primary school
teachers to use virtual learning environment (Google Classroom) in a primary
classroom is shown in Graph 1.

Graph 1: Teachers readiness in using virtual learning environment (Google

Classroom) in a primary classroom

Teachers Readiness in Using Google Classroom

Skilled
34% 34% Willingness
Knowledge

33%

Referring to the first research question, the study was conducted to explore
the teachers’ readiness to use a virtual learning environment (Google Classroom) in
a primary classroom. Items built into this instrument for the first research question;
the teachers’ readiness have been divided into 3 constructs; skilled, willingness and
knowledge to facilitate the analysis of data by the researcher. Based on the graph 1,
the highest score is the knowledge of the teachers in using the Google Classroom.
From this finding, the researcher can interpret that primary school teachers have
adequate knowledge of the use of Google Classroom. The overall mean obtained for
teachers’ readiness to use a virtual learning environment (Google Classroom) in
primary classroom is 2.64 and the standard deviation is 9.98. In terms of the mean
given, the researcher can see that the readiness of teachers to use the virtual
learning environment (Google Classroom) is at a moderate level. The items in each
construct were tabulated in the table below
 TABLE 1: Items for Teachers’ Readiness in using Google Classroom

Constructs Items

Skilled  I am well versed in providing learning elements interactively using Google

Classroom.
 I'm good at sharing teaching and learning materials in Google Classroom
 I'm skilled at using a technology approach and Google Classroom in
realizing collaborative learning (group).

Willingness  I am using Google Classroom app in my daily teaching and learning lesson.
 I am using Google Classroom in my teaching and learning at least 30
minutes in a week
 I'm good at using Google Classroom for providing a more open learning
environment and flexible for teaching and learning purposes.
 I am interested in Google Classroom based learning that can produce more
creative and innovative pupils.

Knowledge  I know what a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) is

 Google Classroom application can help me in teaching and learning
 I know Google Classroom application can diversify my teaching techniques.

B. Barriers in Using Virtual Learning Environment (Google Classroom) in a

Primary Classroom

Based on the answers obtained from the Part C of the questionnaire, the barriers
faced by the primary school teachers, it can be seen from five different aspects; (i)
lack of confidence, (ii) inefficient, (iii) lack of time, (iv) lack of access, (v) less effective
training. Table 2 and 3 below explains the level of the overall score, frequency,
percentage and standard deviation of the obstacles teachers using a virtual learning
environment (Google classroom) in primary classroom.

Table 2: Barriers in using the virtual learning environment

(Google Classroom) in Primary classroom

Number of
Aspect Percentage (%)
Respondents

Lack Of Confidence 2 6.7

Inefficient 4 13.3

Lack of Time 10 33.3

Lack of Access 11 36.7

Less Effective Training 3 10

Graph 2: Barriers in using the virtual learning environment (Google Classroom)
in Primary classroom

Barriers
10% 7%
13%
Lack Of Confidence
Inefficient
Lack of Time
37% Lack of Access
33% Less Effective Training

Based on the graph and table 2, the barriers primary school teachers were
facing with the use of virtual learning environment (Google Classroom) in primary
classroom was at a moderate level. In terms of ratios, the highest barriers faced by
teachers is the lack of access constraints of the overall percentage value of 36.7% ,
followed by lack of time with the percentage value was 33.3%, next inefficient with
percentage value of 13.3% and less effective training is less effective with the
percentage value of 10%. The lowest barrier is lack of confidence with the overall
percentage value of 6.7%. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that the
highest barriers that the primary school teachers face is the lack of access.

CONCLUSION, IMPLICATIONS & SUGGESTIONS

As a conclusion, according to the findings of this study, it can be concluded

that the level of readiness of teachers in using virtual learning environment (Google
Classroom) in Ipoh is modest. However, there were also several barriers that the
teachers face in using Google Classroom in primary classroom were listed out by the
respondents in the questionnaire. Those barriers are such as lack of confidence, less
efficiency, lack of time, lack of access and ineffective training. Among the five
hurdles, lack of accessibility is the most challenging ones followed by lack of time,
inefficient, lack of effective training and the lowest level of challenge is the lack of
confidence.
 Therefore, the results of this study will be useful for the Education
Development Plan 2013-2025 of the Ministry of Education. Furthermore, this study
can be used throughout Malaysia to generalize the results and take appropriate
action. The results of this research are hoped to give a true picture to the important
authorities and stakeholders in order to monitor and deal with any problems that
emerge. Besides, the findings of the research could motivate the teacher to use
Google Classroom as a part of blended learning where school assignments can be
given to the pupils in Google Classroom. By doing this, the pupils who do not attend
school on a particular day indirectly can be involved in the lesson and they will not be
left in the teaching and learning.

There are many limitations that led to many things that could not be assessed
in this study. Therefore, the researcher hope that some of the proposed studies could
be extended based on the following areas for the future:

a) Future research can be conducted by involving more than one area or states
in Malaysia to provide a thorough improvement.

b) In addition, studies on the effectiveness of using Google classroom among

teachers during the Movement Control Order (MCO).

c) On the other hand, another study that can be conducted is on the teacher’s
perception of using Google Classroom before the Movement Control Order (MCO)
and after the Movement Control Order (MCO).
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