PLG744 LISTENING & SPEAKING

AND TESOL : THEORY,

RESEARCH AND PRACTICE

TOPIC: CONTEMPORARY CLASSROOM CULTURE AND LISTENING & SPEAKING IN TESOL

RESEARCH ARTICLE: THE INCORPORATION OF FLIPPED LEARNING INTO CONVENTIONAL

CLASSES TO ENHANCE EFL LEARNERS’ L2 SPEAKING, L2 LISTENING, AND ENGAGEMENT

A REVIEW BY RUBINI RADZA

The incorporation of flipped learning into
conventional classes to enhance EFL
learners’ L2 speaking, L2 listening, and
engagement

Mohammad Amiryousefi (2019)

ABSTRACT

The present study was an effort to investigate the effects of

flipped learning on EFL (English as a foreign language)
learners’ L2 speaking, L2 listening, and out-of-class
participation and engagement with course materials and
activities.
Introduction

● There is enough evidence in the literature to suggest that language learners’ engagement with tasks and activities is a
crucial element in learning a language communicatively. To achieve this objective, language learning environments must
be inviting and motivating. This has encouraged scholars to look for innovative practices that can transform conventional
classes to improve the quality of language learning and teaching, to accommodate language learners’ growing and
changing needs and interests, and hence to motivate students to excel (Chen Hsieh, Wu, and Marek 2017).

● Flipped learning is one of the recent instructional innovations, which is believed to have the potential to transform
conventional classes and make them more motivating and inviting (Chen Hsieh, Wu, and Marek 2017; O’Flaherty and
Phillips 2015).
The matter of contention…

How flipped learning can be used to improve EFL learners’ L2 skills such as speaking and listening has
received little attention. Moreover, research (Amiryousef 2016b; Ushioda 2011) suggests that if students
play a role in class procedures and in the selection of course contents and materials, their engagement will
be increased and hence their learning out- comes. Unfortunately, it has not received the attention it
deserves in the area of flipped learning.
What is flipped learning(FL)?

Flipped learning is considered to be as a unique evolution in instructional

methodologies, which reverses the role of homework and classroom instruction.

Via flipped learning, students can receive knowledge at home by, for example,
watching the videos and slides prepared and provided by the teacher, and
receive practice inside the class.
Potentials of FL approach

(1) provide a more dynamic and flexible environment whereby teachers can help students as they apply
concepts;

(2) help students learn at their own pace;

(3) provide the opportunity for students to use the materials and concepts more widely, which can contribute to
the development of communicative competence;

(4) help teachers free up class time to be devoted to active learning; and

(5) help students be more involved with the learning materials and activities
Four core elements of FL

● defining clear objectives for the course and ensuring that all activities and tasks align with the
determined objectives
● providing students with effective preparation for class
● deeply engaging students with the concepts and materials already presented to them during the pre-
class phase and solving their problems during the in-class phase
● students’ attainment of the defined objectives
Previous research
These studies have focused on:

● the effects of flipped learning on foreign language learners’ academic performance in an English course at
a Taiwanese university with the use of WebQuests as the online learning platform (Hung 2015), l
● earning a wide range of English idioms with the use of the LINE smartphone application as the online
learning platform (Chen Hsieh, Wu, and Marek 2017),
● the academic performance of intermediate-level English learners without any online platforms (Hung
2017),
● ELT (English language teaching) students’ academic performance in a materials development course
without any online platforms (Adnan 2017).

The results of these studies seem to indicate that flipped learning can help students be more active, involved, and
motivated and obtain better learning outcomes.
Crucial element & hypothesis

● One crucial element that can increase students’ engagement and motivation is to address their interest in the selection of
course materials and contents. Interest is defined as students’ engagement with learning activities and materials
(Amiryousefi 2016b). Research has shown that interest plays a predominant role in increasing students’ motivation and
learning, and lack of interest is one of the main causes of students’ disengagement, withdrawal, and failure (Mazer 2013).

● It can be hypothesized that if students are given opportunities to play a role in the selection of course materials and
contents in flipped classes, their level of participation and engagement with course materials and contents will be
increased and hence their learning outcomes.
The purpose of the
present study
(1) How can conventional vs. flipped learning influence EFL learners’ L2 speaking and
listening?
(2) How can conventional vs. flipped learning influence EFL learners’ out-of-class
participation and
engagement with course materials and contents?
(3) To what extent the opportunities given to EFL learners to play a role in the selection of
course
materials can influence their participation and performance?
(4) How do EFL learners perceive flipped learning experience?
METHOD
● Participants
● Listening and Speaking Tests
● Time log
● Survey/LEQ
● Open-ended questions
Participants
Listening Test

Two tests;

1. Teacher made - 60 MCQs

2. A standard test - 50 MCQs (extracted from TOEFL)
Speaking Test : Interview
Assessment of spoken language (CEFR)
Time log
Learning Experience Questionnaire (LEQ)
Open-ended questions
Procedures
Semi-structured Flipped Learning Condition
1. The participants were given a list of resources and were asked to find audios and
videos to post in their own Telegram Group
2. Then, group members cooperated to select the best/most interesting audio/video in
the main TG group
3. With the help of group members, for each in-person session they attended, they were
asked to pick the most appropriate audio/video based on the opinions of the majority
4. Next, they were instructed to work on, to elaborate the content of the selected
materials, to discuss relevant ideas and to provide assistance, to send and receive
feedback and to finalize before they attend each in-person class session (under teacher
supervision)
5. Two ways - i.)whole class discussions where the students presented their ideas and
thoughts to the whole class
ii.)group discussions where the students were divided into groups of four- or
five-member teams and discussed their ideas with their group members
Structured Flipped Learning Condition

Everything was similar to the semi-structured flipped learning group, but the
teacher selected and posted the audios and the videos to the Telegram group
created specifically for this group. Hence, for this group, only steps number four
and five were followed.
Conventional Group
1. Audios/videos given in class without before class preparation through the use
of mainstream approach of CLT
2. Teacher raised a few questions based on the content and participants
listen/watch and discuss
3. New words/expressions are explained and the content was analyzed and
discussed
4. Participants were divided into groups and asked to elaborate
5. Teacher moved around, monitor and provide assistance if necessary
6. Finally, they were asked to work on the materials at home and be prepared to
report in the following session where they could also add their personal ideas
and experiences.
Results
The aims of the study

1. The first aim of this study was to examine if conventional vs. different conditions of
flipped learning differentially influenced the participants’ L2 speaking and listening.

● For both the teacher-made listening test and the speaking test, the mean scores of
the participants in the semi-structured and structured flipped learning groups were
significantly higher than those of the conventional group. These results, consequently,
suggest that, in general terms, both flipped learning conditions better facilitated the
participants’ development of L2 speaking and listening.
2. The second aim of the study was to determine whether the conventional learning, structured flipped learning, and
semi-structured flipped learning conditions differentially influenced the students’ participation and engagement with
the martials out of class as reflected in the amount of time they spent on the reports and videos outside of class
(time log) and in their responses to the Engagement with Course Materials and Contents Scale (LEQ).

● the mean score of the participants in the structured flipped learning group was significantly higher than
that of the semi-structured flipped learning group, and the mean scores of the semi-structured and
structured flipped learning groups were significantly higher than that of the conventional group

● The participants in the flipped conditions spent significantly more amount of time and were more engaged
with the materials outside of class.
3. The third aim of the study was, on the other hand, to examine the participants’ overall classroom
experiences.

● there were no significant differences between the semi-structured and structured flipped
learning groups, the mean scores of these two groups were significantly higher than those of
the conventional group

● These results can suggest that exposing EFL learners to flipped learning can cause them to
develop a positive affect toward the class and the course.
Responses to open-ended questions (summarized)

Q1

Flipped learning was well-received by the participants, and they believed that flipped learning can:

(1) make language learning more interesting and enjoyable,

(2) increase students’ motivation, self-confidence, and willingness to communicate,

(3) increase the opportunities for meaningful interactions in English, and

(4) encourage students to spend more time outside of class and help them be more exposed to
English.
Q2

Flipped learning group thought that flipped learning demands a higher amount of time and workload
compared to conventional classes and hence is sometimes difficult to follow;

(1)especially when the participants should select the materials by themselves, or when the materials are
demanding

(2)heavily relies on students’ preparation before the class, and if students cannot afford the time and do not
get prepared, they get stressed.

(3)linguistic elements such as vocabulary and grammar are marginalized during flipped learning
Q3

Some participants believed that flipped learning can be enhanced if;

(1)teachers are more active during the pre-class phase of flipped learning and support and direct students’
learning;

(2)teachers design some tasks to be performed by students during the pre-class, better outcomes can be
obtained

and

(3)some students in the structured flipped learning conditions, where just one Telegram group was created
for the whole group, noted that sharing opinions with a large group can be intimidating
Q4

Responsibilities and roles compared (flipped learning vs conventional learning)

(1)participants thought that language learners in flipped learning should be analyzers, processors, and
knowledge seekers rather than listeners and note-takers, as happens in most of the conventional classes

(2)students should increase their level of self-regulation and ambiguity tolerance

(3)teachers should be more supportive, active, and creative and should design variety of coop- erative and
collaborative tasks and activities that can make the materials more comprehensible, involve more students
in discussions, and address the needs of all students
Discussion
Notable findings

● both flipped learning conditions significantly contributed to the improvement of the

participants’ English speaking and listening abilities
● social technologies such as Telegram can create a less- threatening learning environment
compared with conventional settings, provide opportunities for more cooperative and
collaborative learning activities, stretch the limits of input and output, and hence increase
opportunities for high-quality interaction
● the positive outcomes resulting from the flipped learning might have motivated the
participants in the flipped learning conditions to spend more time and to be more engaged.
Results in contrary to the hypothesis
…though they reported spending more time on the course activities and materials outside of class, the
participants in the semi-structured group, where they were given opportunities to play a role in the selection
of their course materials, reported a lower level of satisfaction and engagement based on their responses
to the items available in the Learning Experience and Engagement with Course Materials and Contents
scales (LEQ), compared with structured flipped learning group.

These results are in contrary to the hypothesis made earlier and the argumentation raised by scholars such
as Ushioda (2011) and Amiryousefi (2016b) that if students are given opportunities to play a role in the
selection of course materials and contents, their motivation for learning is increased and hence their level
of engagement and satisfaction. One reason for this might be that they had to spend extra time and efforts
to find appropriate videos and reports, and, according to their responses to the survey questions, it was
time-consuming and confusing.
Vygotsky’s ZPD Theory
Limitations

1. the number of the participants were rather low and hence generalizability of the results
should be done with caution
2. flipped learning has a composite nature and hence it is difficult to control the effects of the
confounding variables such as the ability of the teacher, the nature of the materials and tasks,
and classroom environments which can influence the final outcomes
3. the research procedures used in the present study fit more into speaking rather than listening
4. the present study failed to examine the effects of different task-based interventions such as
task repetition
Conclusion

● teachers and students need to know how to be flipped learning teachers and learners and
should try to develop a pedagogical understanding for their new roles and identities

● they should be informed about the affordances and limitations of this new design and the
possible ways it can be used in different settings

● the researcher hopes that the positive outcomes reported in this study for flipped learning and
the easy-to-use instructional design employed to implement it can encourage researchers
across the world especially in less developed countries to conduct further studies and offer
new innovative instructional designs for the incorporation of flipped learning into language
classes
“Understanding is deeper than knowledge”

- Nicholas Cage
| The Minds Journal |
Thank you for lending me
your ears!