The Factors Affecting the Use of Google Translate as Language Learning Tool by Prospective English Teachers

Abstract

The objective of this study was to explore the factors affecting the use of Google Translate (GT) as a language learning tool by prospective English teachers. The study adopted a survey approach and involved 93 Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) prospective teachers. The participants were selected from Malaysian universities through purposive sampling. The collected data was analyzed by performing both descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS version 26. The findings showed that the students and teachers had positive attitudes towards GT as a language learning tool. It was also indicated that the factors of usefulness, ease of use, accuracy and GT use are strongly correlated; however, only usefulness of GT significantly influences and predicts the use of GT. The finding of the study has implications for students, lecturers, curriculum designers and researchers.