Acceptance of YouTube as a Learning Platform during the Covid-19 Pandemic: The Moderating Effect of Subscription Status

Abstract

The interests of the researcher towards the use of technology in learning surged during the Covid-19 pandemic as more users were expected to use online resources due to the limited face-to-face activities and the new norm that encouraged social distancing. This study aimed to investigate the factors that affected a student's acceptance of YouTube as learning resources. Based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), this study investigated the role of subscription status as a moderator variable. The data were collected during the Movement Control Order (MCO) that was placed on Malaysians, involving 340 students of a distance education program. The findings of this study supported TAM, in which the student's acceptance towards YouTube as learning resources was related to the perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and social influence. This study also reported that the subscription status did not moderate the relationship between the factors and the student's acceptance. Therefore, this study implies that students accept YouTube as learning resources either as a subscriber of the YouTube channel or otherwise. This study significantly contributes to the literature by investigating the acceptance of YouTube a learning resource during the Covid-19 pandemic.