Needs Analysis of Google Sites-Based Learning Media for Independent Learning in Junior High School Informatics

Abstract

This study analyzed the self-directed learning needs of junior high school students in Informatics and identified potential obstacles in using Google Sites as a self-directed learning medium, corresponding to the Analysis stage of the ADDIE instructional design model. A mixed-methods approach with an explanatory sequential design was employed, where a descriptive quantitative method was supported and contextualized by qualitative data from interviews, observations, and documentation involving 90 seventh-grade students and 3 Informatics teachers from three public junior high schools in Balapulang District, Tegal Regency, selected through purposive sampling. Results showed that students had strong technological readiness and high interest in interactive website-based learning (81%), particularly through smartphone access (84%), yet had limited prior experience using website-based learning media (38%), revealing a 43-point interest-experience gap. The main obstacles identified were infrastructural, namely unstable internet connectivity (61%) and limited data quota (54%), alongside literacy-related barriers such as unfamiliarity with digital platform navigation and limited technical guidance. Teacher interviews reinforced these findings, underscoring the importance of structured onboarding and digital scaffolding during initial implementation. These findings contribute theoretically to strengthening the needs analysis stage within the ADDIE framework and practically as an empirical basis for designing a lightweight, guided, low-bandwidth-friendly Google Sites platform suited to junior high school students in areas with limited technological infrastructure.