Susilawati, S., & Supriyatno, T. (2020). Online learning through WhatsApp group in improving learning motivation in the era and post-pandemic COVID-19. Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan, 5(6), 852-859.
Summary
This paper looks at how using WhatsApp for online learning has helped improve student motivation during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The study focused on fourth-semester students at the State Islamic University of Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang in Indonesia. Through pre-and post-tests, it was found that students’ learning outcomes significantly improved after WhatsApp was integrated into their studies. The WhatsApp platform made it easier for students and teachers to communicate, collaborate, and share learning materials, showing that it can be a useful tool to enhance motivation and engagement.
Evaluation
The paper highlights how a simple app like WhatsApp can play a crucial role in education, especially during challenging times like the pandemic. It emphasizes WhatsApp’s ease of use, accessibility, and strong support for communication as key benefits. Furthermore, the app’s mobility is a significant advantage, as it can be easily installed on cell phones, allowing both students and teachers to stay connected without being tied to desktops or laptops. Users receive instant notifications, can reply quickly, and even hold calls or video conferences, making the learning process more flexible and engaging. However, the article overlooks several other important benefits of WhatsApp, such as its ability to facilitate document sharing, allowing users to easily exchange PDFs, Word documents, and images, which further enhances collaboration and learning. Another useful feature is the ability to link WhatsApp to multiple devices, making it easier to manage communications across platforms, all while ensuring chats remain encrypted for privacy and security. The study could have been further strengthened by comparing WhatsApp with other online platforms to offer a broader perspective on its effectiveness. Additionally, a larger sample size would have made the findings more robust. Despite these limitations, the study demonstrates that WhatsApp had a positive impact on student motivation and learning outcomes.
Reflection
It’s remarkable how a simple, accessible tool like WhatsApp can make a big difference in keeping students motivated and engaged, having a significant impact on learning when used properly. WhatsApp is already familiar to many people, so integrating it into learning environments is a natural fit. I am currently using WhatsApp in my PhD studies to communicate with my group, allowing us to connect from anywhere, at any time, to discuss our group project development and coordinate meeting times that work for everyone. In addition to WhatsApp, platforms like Discord are also useful for maintaining student engagement, offering features like voice channels and collaborative spaces for discussions. Moving forward, I’m interested in exploring how apps like these can continue to support student collaboration in both remote and blended learning environments.