Effects of Google Classroom on ESL/EFL Teaching During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review

Abstract

The systematic review was completed to examine studies on the effects of Google Classroom (GC) usage as a learning technology on ESL/EFL learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most studies on this matter were one-off instead of longitudinal and primarily focused on the perception of its users. This study identifies gaps and additional aspects that could be investigated in future studies. Three databases, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, were explored to collect relevant data. Primary searchers between 2020 and 2022 revealed 217 studies on the topic under investigation. After scrutinizing abstracts and removing duplicates, 12 were retained for further analysis. A thematic analysis was conducted to derive the benefits and issues of using GC in learning English. It was revealed that GC could play a role in increasing students' achievement in the four primary skills in the English language, listening, reading, speaking, and writing. Issues with using GC mainly revolved around external factors rather than the learning platform itself. It is recommended that future studies look at other aspects of GC usage in language learning, such as its specific features and learning materials uploaded to it, and whether different online learning platforms than GC could yield similar results to GC.