Behind-the-Scenes: Challenges to Integrate Google Classroom in Teaching and Learning

Abstract

Due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Malaysian government has announced Movement Control Order (MCO) for the safety of the nation. Based on the latest data from UNESCO (2020), this measure has impacted over 7.9 million of learners in Malaysia. Subsequently, teachers in Malaysia are facing challenges to continue providing quality education to students due to the pandemic. Google Classroom was introduced after the termination of Frog VLE in Malaysia. However, the researcher found that implementing Google Classroom via online teaching and learning is ineffective compared to the face-to-face method. Hence, this study aimed to explore why Malaysian teachers face challenges in teaching and learning. The study employed a qualitative study using a semi-structured interview. The participants of this study were five teachers from different secondary schools in Selangor, Malaysia. Purposive sampling was adopted in this study with two criteria. The first criterion is that participants need to have experience in using Google Classroom in teaching and learning regardless of any subjects' while the second is that participants need at least five years of teaching experience in secondary school. As a result, a total of four themes were categorised. This research finding would offer insights to educational stakeholders and school administrators to improve the integration of Google Classroom in teaching and learning. Recommendations were generalisability and suggestions to the future researcher to explore ways to overcome the challenges faced by secondary school teachers.