Using the Flipped Classroom to enhance EFL learning PDF

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Using the Flipped Classroom to enhance EFL learning a Jun Scott Chen Hsieh, *bWen-Chi Vivian Wu, cMichael W. Marek a Graduate Institute of Network Learning Technology, National Central University, Taiwan b Department of English Language, Literature, and Linguistics, Providence University, Taiwan c D...

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Using the Flipped Classroom to enhance EFL learning a

Jun Scott Chen Hsieh, *bWen-Chi Vivian Wu, cMichael W. Marek

a

Graduate Institute of Network Learning Technology, National Central University, Taiwan Department of English Language, Literature, and Linguistics, Providence University, Taiwan c Department of Communication Arts, Wayne State College, Nebraska, USA *[email protected]

b

Abstract Instruction in English is a priority around the globe, but instructional methodologies have not always kept pace with the changing needs of students. To explore the benefits of the flipped classroom model for learners of English as a Foreign Language, the researchers used flipped learning and Wen’s Output-driven/Input-enabled model to design a holistic oral training course that included extensive online written and verbal communication for the learning of a wide range of English idioms. The participants were 48 sophomore English-majors in two required English Oral Training classes. A within-subjects research design exposed all participants to learning English idioms by flipped learning, using the LINE smartphone app, and by conventional instruction. A mixed research method was employed, using multiple sources of data collection, including pre- and post-tests on idioms, two questionnaires (“Perception of Flipped Learning Experience” and “Technology Acceptance Model”), the teachers’ in-class observations, and semi-structured focus-group interviews. The results revealed that the theory-based flipped instruction using online written and oral interaction not only enhanced the participants’ motivation, making them more active in using idioms in class, but also significantly improved their idiomatic knowledge, indicating that the flipped learning was successful in achieving the instructional goals of the class. The authors present insights into the impact of theory-based flipped learning on motivation and idiomatic acquisition; student impressions of the online platform used, LINE; and offer recommendations for practice. Keywords: flipped classroom, idiomatic acquisition, oral training, MALL, LINE

Note: This document is a pre-press version of this article, accepted by Computer Assisted Language Learning. The article is available on the journal’s pre-publication website at: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09588221.2015.1111910 There may be formatting and editorial differences from the published version.

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Introduction Instruction in English is a priority around the globe, but instructional methodologies have not always kept pace with the changing needs of students and English is still often taught as a conventional classroom subject. Innovative educators seek instructional methodologies that improve learning as well as motivating students to excel (Johnson, Adams Becker, Estrada, & Freeman, 2014). Flipped learning has emerged as a unique approach which reverses the role of homework and classroom activities. In conventional instruction, students acquire new knowledge in the classroom, such as via lecture, and practice it at home via homework. In flipped learning, the students acquire knowledge at home, such as via watching videos made by the teacher, and practice the skills in class, where the teacher can easily monitor and correct the student. This provides “a dynamic and interactive learning environment where the educator guides students as they apply concepts and engage creatively in the subject matter” (Flipped Learning Network, 2014, p. 1). When students prepare before class by watching the instructor’s videos, they can learn at their own pace because they are able to pause, rewind, and replay the videos at will. Repeated exposure to the learning materials and resources strengthens and deepens the students’ understanding of the material. The knowledge can then be applied in a richer scope during in-class activities. Flipped learning frees instructional time, consequently allowing for more dynamic and interactive classroom learning experiences, as illustrated by the four components of the Four Pillars of F-L-I-P™ model, i.e., flexible environment, learning culture, intentional content, and professional educator, (Hamdan, McKnight, McKnight, & Arfstrom, 2013). In terms of flexible environment, the current study provided both an online learning community and physical classroom instruction for students to learn specific content knowledge and demonstrate mastery. With regard to learning culture, the flipped instructional design used in the current study was a learner-centered approach where students actively participated outside the classroom in meaningful and collaborative written and verbal activities via an online learning community. The

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teacher-made videos about English idioms contained intentional content specifically designed for students to learn and to explore. Finally, the researchers of the current study were professional educators who continually observed student progress, provided online and in-person feedback, and assessed the students’ performance. The essence of flipped learning resembles the instructional design proposed by Morrison, Ross, Kalman, and Kemp (2011) because the instructor plays multiple roles including content expert, instructional designer, and media developer. Studies have shown that flipped learning significantly enhances student learning performance (Day & Foley, 2006; Deslauriers & Wieman, 2011; Hung, 2015; McLaughlin et al., 2014; Zappe et al., 2009) and student engagement (Dill, 2012), produces enhanced learning outcomes (Baepler, Walker & Driessen, 2014; Moravec et al., 2010), and improved motivation (Strayer, 2012; Traxler & Riordan, 2003). Other studies have indicated that flipped classrooms can foster active learning and higher-order thinking (Baepler, Walker, & Driessen, 2014; Hung, 2015; Zappe et al., 2009). Bishop and Verleger (2013) contended that a flipped classroom is an educational technique that consists of two important components: (1) the use of computer technologies such as video lectures, and (2) the involvement of interactive learning activities. Although flipped learning holds promise as an innovative approach that facilitates teaching and learning, closer scrutiny of English instruction in Taiwan, the site of this study, reveals teacher-centered and unidirectional instruction are common, island-wide, which is neither effective nor efficient in enhancing the English abilities of students of different proficiency levels. As a result, researchers are placing renewed emphasis on the output component of the English learning process. Wen (2008) proposed the “Output-driven/Input-enabled” model, stating that the need for output drives learners to pursue input, and input enables learners to produce output. According to Wen’s model, teachers are responsible for: (1) designing authentic output tasks that meet and improve the learner’s proficiency level (2) providing appropriate task-based inputs to enhance learner intake, (3) providing appropriate output assistance to improve learner ability, and (4) offering targeted feedback rather than general suggestions (Wen, 2013). Wen’s instructional model

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is well embodied in flipped learning. Flipped learning implicitly includes use of technology for outside-the-classroom learning (Herrald & Schiller, 2013), such as requiring students to watch videos or podcasts created by the teacher, using other multimedia materials, and online interaction. This model aligns closely with numerous recent studies showing the educational benefits of mobile technology (M-learning) and Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL) (Amer, 2014; Chen, Hsieh, & Kinshuk, 2008; Kahari, 2013; Kiernan & Aizawa, 2004; Stockwell, 2013), including specifically in the field of EFL instruction (Kukulska-Hulme, 2009; Saran & Seferoğlu, 2010; Stockwell, 2010). A plethora of research has indicated the effectiveness of digital learning in enhancing student motivation to learn and willingness to participate (Clark, 2007; Murdock & Williams, 2011; Norbrook & Scott, 2003; Prensky, 2005; Thorne, Black & Sykes, 2009) because of the accessibility, portability, interactivity, and immediacy of mobile devices, leading to more autonomous and diverse learning. Recent years have also witnessed an increasing number of young users in Asia communicating with each other through mobile messaging applications, such as LINE, WhatsApp, and WeChat. Studies have shown that instant and text messaging technologies can play important roles in education because they provide not only platforms for socializing, sharing information, and communicating (Sweeny, 2010), but also produce stronger motivation, support, and recommendations for revision (Traxler & Riordan, 2003). The final major consideration in developing this study was that while conventional EFL instruction focuses on vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structure, the mastery of English idioms holds the key to drastically advancing an individual’s English ability and to successful interaction in international society. Idioms are formulaic sequences of words in which the collocation of words create meaning that is greater than the sum of their lexical parts (Wood, 2009). In linguistics, they are associated with phrasal verbs, prepositional phrases, and other structures. As the term is used in the current study, idioms are more broadly considered to be any of a number of kinds of figures of speech or expressions with meaning and connotations that go beyond the superficial meaning of the

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individual words (Celce-Murcia, 2001). Studies have shown that the number of idioms that English speakers command is positively correlated with the success of communicative abilities (Fotovatnia & Khaki, 2012; Liu, 2008; Shirazi & Talebinezhad, 2013; Wray, 2002). Liu (2008) stated that idioms are “one of the most difficult aspects in L2 acquisition due to the fact that they are conventionalized expressions peculiar to a language community and they are usually frozen in form and often unpredictable in meaning” (p. xiii). However, most previous research on learning of English idioms has been restricted to English-speaking countries; studies concerning the instruction and use of English idioms in an EFL setting (such as Taiwan) remain scarce (Asl, 2013; Khan & Daşkin, 2014; Mäntylä, 2004; Tărcăoanu, 2012). Therefore, to explore the benefits of the flipped classroom model for learners of English as a Foreign Language, the researchers used flipped learning and Wen’s Output-driven/Input-enabled model to design a holistic oral training course that included extensive online written and verbal communication for the learning of a wide range of English idioms. The instructional outcome goal, based on Dörnyei’s (2014) curriculum design model, was to enhance the ability of the students to use idiomatic English while simultaneously enhancing other important factors in language learning, such as motivation, effectiveness, and engagement. The research goal was to explore use of flipped learning in the context of EFL oral training. Accordingly, the researchers conducted this study by employing a mixed-method research design, to examine the affordances resulting from flipped learning incorporating online written and verbal interaction, based on evaluation of how flipped learning impacted the EFL learners’ perceptions and idiomatic knowledge. To address these goals and purposes, the following research questions guided the study, including three quantitative questions and one qualitative question: 1. Were there any differences in the participants’ idiomatic learning outcomes between the two instructional methods (flipped and conventional learning)? 2. How did the students perceive this flipped class learning experience? 3. How did the students perceive the platform selected for the flipped learning treatment?

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4. What were the participants’ overall flipped classroom learning experiences?

Methods Participants The participants were 48 sophomore English-majors in two required English Oral Training classes taught by the second author during the fall 2014 academic year at a four-year comprehensive academic university in central Taiwan. The participants were mostly female and between the ages of 19 and 20 (Table 1). The participants had studied English for at least seven years through high school and their English proficiency was considered to be at the upper-intermediate level. Approximately half of the participants had passed the Intermediate Level of the General English Proficiency Test (GEPT) and some had passed the first stage of the High-Intermediate Level, suggesting that they could make inquiries and conduct conversations on daily life topics, discuss or describe personal experiences in general, express their opinions on topics they were interested in, and express their personal thoughts and opinions in social settings and workplaces without much difficulty. Their oral proficiency roughly fell between B1 and B2 according to the overall spoken interaction of CEFR, meaning that the participants could interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity; use the language effectively on a wide range of general, academic, vocational, or leisure topics; sustain views clearly by providing relevant explanations and arguments; and express thoughts on more abstract cultural topics such as films, books, music etc. Table 1 Demographic information of the participants Class

N

Male

Female

Taiwanese students

Exchange students

A

24

3

21

14

10

Conventional lecture-based instruction  Theory-based flipped instruction

B

24

1

23

23

1

Theory-based flipped instruction  Conventional lecture-based instruction

Instructional sequence

The 24 participants in Class A experienced a conventional lecture-based instructional treatment first (the first eight weeks) and then shifted to theory-based flipped instruction (the last eight weeks), while the 24 participants in Class B experienced the opposite sequence, with the eight-week 6

theory-based flipped instruction treatment first and then the eight-week conventional lecture-based treatment.

Instructional design In order to meet the instructional outcome goals of the oral training classes, the instructor chose the GOOD CHATS (3rd ed.) text book. GOOD CHATS is an English conversation textbook designed for advanced students of English because it directly applies to oral communication with the most modern and frequently used English idioms, expressions, and turns of phrase. The textbook contains 15 topics (chapters) with each topic selected to be of high interest and relevance to upper level students, thus serving as a point of departure for lively and meaningful conversation. The goal of the textbook is for students to be able to chat in English about their own ideas. Each chapter features (1) a reading passage which showcases the idioms, turns of phrase, and collocations that native speakers often use when chatting about the given topic, and (2) extensive participatory dialogues which both guide students and allow them to express their own ideas, facilitating lively conversations for pairs of students. Six topics were chosen (Sleep, Family, and Food for the conventional instruction; Friends, Dating, and Beauty for the flipped instruction), each of which included a reading passage, four comprehension questions, 30-40 relevant idioms, and a Chat-for-Two guided dialogue requiring the participants to draft the final dialogue collaboratively. For the online learning platform in which this interaction would take place, the researchers choose the LINE smartphone app. LINE is available for both the Android and iOS operating systems, as well as a desktop version, and has over 600 million users (Eun-ji, 2015). In addition to its popularity, LINE provides the levels of privacy needed to protect students and research subjects (privacy requirements vary considerably from country to country). The application provides text messaging between individuals and groups, as well as the ability to post audio messages, files, and graphic “stickers” that express emotions or feelings. The students were highly familiar with LINE and required no training in the functionality of the application.

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In the theory-based flipped instruction, the participants were randomly paired and established personal LINE groups with their partners. The researchers, including an English native speaker, also participated in the students’ LINE groups to provide timely and constructive verbal or written feedback (e.g., suggestions on proper use of the idioms or pronunciation), to observe the online peer interaction, and to monitor the progress. Before class time, the participants read the assigned chapters and watched instructional video presentations made by the researchers. Each individual participant then developed a short story (300-500 words) employing the idioms covered in the chapter and video, uploaded a preliminary oral recording of the story to the LINE group, discussed their stories with their partners, received feedback from the researchers, and finalized the stories, uploading final text and audio versions. The participants also discussed the content of the chapter guided dialogue with their online partners, collaboratively completed the dialogue, recorded the guided dialogue with respective partners (5-8 minutes in length), and uploaded the final recording to their LINE group. Each topic within a treatment lasted for two weeks. In-person class meetings were held once a week. Since the participants had learned the idioms and become comfortable with their use before class, detailed lecture about micro-level grammar rules was not necessary during the in-person class meetings. Instead, class meetings, which lasted for 100 minutes, consisted of interactive discussion in which the students were able to demonstrate that they could create authentic oral communication based on what they had learned. This transformed the in-class activities from a focus on lower-order skills, defined by Anderson et al. (2001) as remember, understand, and apply, to higher-order critical thinking, analyze, evaluate, and the highest level, create. The resulting flipped learning in-class activities consisted of the instructors engaging the participants in collaborative activities to strengthen their idiomatic knowledge, to foster active learning, and to enhance higher-order thinking. For example, in the chapter Friends, a game called “Have a guess” was employed, where the class was divided into teams and students in each team defined chosen idioms in their own words for their teammates to guess. Teams competed not just for

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accuracy, but against time. In the Dating chapter, the participants engaged in scenario improvisation, where they were divided into groups of four and had to present using the idioms based on a specific scenario given to them. An example of the scenarios is as follows: Bill’s mother has arranged a date for Bill, but the truth is that… Bill has already gone steady with Jennifer for one year. He’s not willing to meet the girl in the quasi-arranged marriage (Bill’s mother introduces a potential spouse for Bill and from that point on, it is up to the two individuals to develop the relationship and make a final choice.). Now, he’s caught in a dilemma. On the other hand, the conventional lecture-based class meetings included the instructor’s elaboration on idioms and reading contents for each chapter during class and students’ engagement in collaborative activities (e.g., in-class activities, discussion on comprehension questions, group-based oral presentation, and dialogue completion). The learning treatments, both flipped and conventional, lasted for eight weeks, with two to three weeks for each chapter. Details of activities performed by the individual students, students working in groups, and the instructors are ill...