Foundation Students' Perceptions Towards the Integration of WhatsApp in Learning During COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Since the announcement of the first movement control order (MCO), the Malaysian education system has been put under pressure as education providers and educators work tirelessly to provide continuous quality education online during the COVID-19 pandemic. As classes shifted online, educators and students relied heavily on devices and applications to ensure that the teaching and learning process could be conducted smoothly. One such app that has been used extensively is WhatsApp. Thus, this research aimed to study students’ perceptions of the use and integration of WhatsApp for their learning during COVID-19. It is hypothesised that students would have positive perceptions toward the integration of WhatsApp into their studies. The following research used a quantitative design based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and questionnaires were used to collect data. The respondents consisted of 50 foundation students at a Malaysian private university and were selected using purposive sampling. According to the findings of this study, WhatsApp is important in helping students learn online during this pandemic, with 82% of respondents experiencing academic engagement, 92% agreeing that WhatsApp should be used in education, and 68% showing positive perceptions of continuing to use WhatsApp after COVID-19. Future research can be conducted to compare WhatsApp with other similar applications as well as how educational institutions exemplify best practices in using WhatsApp.