The Use of Whatsapp for Online Learning among Malaysian Students

Abstract

Generally, WhatsApp is a social media application that connects people from all around the world. It has become trendy amongst users for all sorts of purposes including for online learning. The aim of this study is to investigate the use of WhatsApp for online learning among Malaysian students. Specifically, the study will focus on the reasons why WhatsApp has become a popular learning tool among Malaysian students, the benefits of using WhatsApp for online learning and the challenges faced in doing so. A hundred students were used as respondents for the study from a local university in this quantitative study. The results show that WhatsApp popularity is attributed to motivation to use by teachers, friends, and the surroundings of students as well as WhatsApp easy to use features. Furthermore, it was found that students found WhatsApp beneficial in locating information for tasks and connecting with peers. The challenge for WhatsApp usage was mainly found in the video and live video conferencing features which had limitations for this App for online learning. It is thus recommended that the usage of WhatsApp should be for short discussions rather than long lectures and video recordings.