The flipped foreign language classroom model: A literature review

1 THE FLIPPED FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASSROOM MODEL: A LITERATURE REVIEW Kiều Huyền Trâm, M.A ABSTRACT During the Covid-19 pandemic, the use of technology has been a primary tool to conduct teaching and learning activities. Therefore, there has been a great interest in exploring practical teaching frameworks or teaching models of online learning and blended learning. In this literature review- based study, I would like to bring up the flipped classroom as a novel and innovative model in language teaching. With a systematic approach employing statistical methods, the study looks into the terminology and its history and then carries out a literature review of the research works on the flipped classroom in teaching in general and in language teaching in particular. The study also strives to reveal the situation of research on flipped foreign language classrooms in Vietnam. 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1. Rationale of the study Most teachers and students will possibly be of the same mind that class time is too short to complete the full lesson plan and that a large portion of each lesson is teacher-centered due to the large amount of content that has to be conveyed. Meanwhile, for language teaching in particular, it is generally agreed that student-centered activities should be the primary focus of class time. In Vietnam, from my own experience, most English classes are very teacher-dominated and thus, students do not have enough opportunities to drill, practice or hone their language skills as well as to get feedback from their teachers. After their English classes, students may then go home thinking that they have acquired quite a few new words or have grasped the use of the past tense, for instance, but they may later find out that it is impossible for them to use the newly learned words or apply the grammatical rules for their communication without being exposed to them a number of more times. Moreover, even when students take time to revise and reinforce the takeaway from their classes, they may be confused sometimes when doing homework or have some doubts about their application of what they have learned. At this point, their English teachers are not available to give answers to their questions. As a teacher in the field, I am deeply interested in the application of emerging technologies to teach languages more effectively so that my students would have more time practicing in class and at the same time, I, as their teacher, can provide better help. I am especially intrigued by the flipped classroom model, which has been extensively used by many educators all over the world and proven by a large volume of studies to be an effective and efficient alternative to a traditional classroom. However, the implementation as well as the research of flipped learning in Vietnam, especially in the field of teaching English as a foreign language, is still in its infancy. Therefore, this study attempts to do a literature review research on this model in the hope of contributing to its popularity in English classes in Vietnam. In addition, under the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, technology is being used as a primary tool to conduct teaching and learning throughout the world. Vietnam’s education is not excluded from that mainstream. Never before in Vietnam has there been such a great interest in e-learning modes, online learning platforms, and blended learning. Both Vietnamese teachers and their students are now prepared to use technology and ready to switch to new modes of teaching and learning different from the traditional ones. As a teacher and a researcher, I believe it is the right 2 time for such an innovative model as a flipped class to be employed in the setting of the Vietnamese language classroom. 1.2. Objectives of the study This study tries to achieve the following objectives: - To investigate the term “flipped classroom” and how it works practically - To deliver a literature review of research on the flipped classroom in general and research on the flipped foreign language classroom in particular. 1.3. Research focus In my research, I will be focusing on the following: the flipped classroom model, especially the use of the model in foreign language teaching for post-secondary students. 1.4. Significance of study This study will hopefully provide instructors some insight into the flipped classroom. Language teachers, especially those who teach in Vietnam, could take the findings of the study into consideration when it comes to whether or not to use flipped classroom model in their teaching. Additionally, my study will also strive to draw the attention of policy-makers to the importance of utilizing flipped classrooms in the future. 1.5. Methodology The study is done with a systematic approach using statistical methods in order to integrate the results of the included studies. By this way, I investigated different studies, combined them and then weighed and compared them to identify similarities, disagreements, or relationships among them. 2. RESULTS 2.1. The flipped classroom What is the flipped classroom? The flipped classroom (‘flipping the classroom’, ‘flipped learning’ or ‘inverted classroom’) is a new terminology in education but not a completely brand new idea. It can be considered a type of blended learning in which the traditional learning process is reversed. It moves instructional content, which has traditionally taken place in the classroom, outside of the classroom and moves activities that have traditionally been homework into the classroom. Bergmann & Sams (2012) states that flipped learning approach can increase the time for students to use English inside and outside the classroom. As defined by Bishop and Verleger (2013), this learning model is a pedagogy including “the direct computer-based individual instruction outside the classroom” and “the interactive group learning activities inside the classroom”. However, flipped materials are not always tied to technology (Brinks Lockwood, 2014). Students are exposed to instructional content via videos or online platforms, etc. but they can do the readings and worksheets provided by teachers prior to class. Therefore, using flipped classroom model, teachers can free up class time for students to do more active tasks in order to assimilate, integrate, practice, and expand upon what they have learned. In other words, the flipped classroom encourages learner autonomy and allows students to do ‘homework’ in class in a very cooperative way. “Interaction and discussion among students and between students and teachers are conducive to the success of the flipped method.” (Kouloumbaritsi, Dimitroglou, Mavrikaki & Galanopoulou, 2013) The history of flipped classrooms 3 The flipped classroom concept was originally described in 2000 by J. Wesley Baker in a conference when he talked about the availability of his lecture notes online as a strategy for maximizing time for group work in class (Baker, J. Wesley, 2000). However, Aaron Sams and Jonathan Bergmann are often quoted as the pioneers of the flipped class movement. In 2007, they began to “flip” their chemistry class when they started to record lessons for students who missed some classes. Then they discovered that the videos also worked well for those who had attended the classes and wanted to review the lessons. They noted that their students were more engaged and interacted more in class. This allowed the teachers to be more focused on students who were most in need of their assistance. In 2012, Aaron Sams and Jonathan Bergmann launched the ‘Flipped Classroom Network’ (flippedclassroom.org). By 2014, the website’s membership had grown to over 20,000. The network’s mission is to help teachers all over the world to implement the flipped classroom model. The theoretical framework for the flipped classroom model The flipped classroom draws on Bloom’s taxonomy of knowledge and social constructivism as its fundamental theoretical framework. William, Beth (2013) did a great job of comparing two class models, traditional and flipped, in relationship to Bloom’s taxonomy. Figure 1: Blooms Taxonomy Image source: classroom/ Original source: William, Beth (2013) The flipped classroom model is also thought to derive from Kolb’s experiential learning theory, but it is brought up to date with the application of new technologies. Kolb (1984) claims that the nature of learning is experiential and thus, the traditional classroom only makes a small contribution to the learning experience. Kolb's theory can be represented by the illustration below that depicts a learning cycle of four stages that learners need to go through in order to fully grasp the contents of a lesson. 4 Figure 2: The 4-Stage Learning Cycle by Kolb (1984) Image source: https://www.simplypsychology.org/learning-kolb.html Original source: McLeod, S., (updated 2017). Kolb – Learning styles In a flipped classroom, students experience content outside the classroom, via assigned materials such as videos or reading material. This is the first stage in the Kolb cycle, exposure to new knowledge. Interestingly, doing or having an experience is a basic cognitive function low on Bloom’s taxonomy and can be easily done by most students. That is followed by a reflective process which is normally done outside of class time as ‘homework’ in the traditional classroom model. However, in the flipped class, the teacher can guide the reflective process during class time by organising activities that involve collaboration (Bishop & Verleger, 2013). The students then go through the abstract and experimentation stages under the teacher’s guidance, participating in active learning, cooperative learning, and problem-solving. 2.2. Literature review of studies on the flipped classroom Research on the flipped classroom Many studies have been done to illuminate the impact of the flipped model on teaching and learning content-based subjects. Some of them indicate that flipped instruction really has a positive effect. An architecture class flipped by Zappe (2009) and a college prep chemistry class flipped by Ruddick (2012) both show that students have a strong preference for flipped class more than traditional class. Nevertheless, not all findings of the research on flipped classroom are substantially positive. Umam et al (2019) conclude that adopting the model in teaching mathematics really pushes students’ learning autonomy and in-class engagement, but there are challenges that teachers have to tackle like technical issues, weaknesses in editing and recording skills and time constraints. Conducting a flipped introductory statistics class at college, Strayer (2007) makes a contrast between a traditional classroom and a flipped classroom. The findings from his qualitative data (audio from classroom sessions, interviews, field notes, reflective journals, etc.) then point out that students, at the early stage, were not as interested in the flipped classroom as the regular class. However, they gradually developed their enthusiasm for this new model. Thus, Strayer suggests that there should be a transition between the traditional and flipped classroom. Noticeably, 45% of 148 students who have participated in some flipped classes held by the library at Townson University respond that they prefer traditional to the flipped classroom but very few respondents explain or clarify their choices on the post-class survey (Arnold-Gaza, 2014). 5 In a nutshell, despite the fact that there has been an abundance of research work on the flipped classroom model, the results are inconclusive. As Strayer (2012) said, more studies on this learning model framework will identify the effectiveness of flipped classroom Research on the flipped foreign language classroom In foreign language teaching, the flipped classroom model is a new and innovative step from the Computer Assisted Language Learning approach (CALL) and has become popular only in recent years (Loucky & Ware, 2017). Many educators argue that, “foreign language teachers can get the most mileage out of flipped classrooms” (Strawbridge, 2017) because the flipped learning maximizes class time for students to communicate in the target language. Consequently, the speed of popularizing the model has been considerably faster for foreign language classes than for most other kinds of classes. However, very few flipped classroom learning studies have been conducted with a focus on foreign language teaching contexts (Basal, 2015). Through the literature review, I found out that most of the studies on flipped learning in foreign language classrooms focus on exploring differences in terms of academic performance between a flipped class and a traditional class. Hung (2015) studies three groups of 75 Taiwanese freshmen majoring in English: full-flipped group, semi-flipped group and non-flipped group. Her findings then show that those of the first two groups perform better than the students in the non-flipped one. In Kang’s (2015) study, 24 ESL students are ‘intervened’ by flipped model. Before each class, they are assigned pre-preparation tasks, including grammar videos and worksheets. Pre and post-test are used to measure the efficiency of grammar and vocabulary, while questionnaires and interviews are instruments of collecting the students’ perceptions towards the model. Even though there is no significant disparity between the results of the flipped model and the regular classroom, the respondents of the study claim that the new learning model really maximizes interaction among students and between students and teachers and enhances achievement of learning goals. Teachers’ perceptions of flipped classrooms have also been investigated in some studies of which Basal’s (2015) study is probably the most noticeable. The study is divided into two phases: the preliminary phase deals with recognizing problems concerning the implementation of flipped classes; the second phase collects opinions of the participants through questionnaires and open- ended interviews. Basal (2015) then puts an emphasis on teachers’ role “other than technical issues, the success of a flipped learning model depends on the teacher applying it” (p.34). Meanwhile, research on the flipped foreign language classroom in Vietnam is very limited. Tran (2016) chooses the students majoring in Accounting as participants in his case study of using the flipped model. He collaborates with some colleagues in Ho Chi Minh city to build up interactive internet-based lessons for students to watch before class. He concludes that his students are highly interested in this new learning model and suggests considering replacing the regular classes with the flipped ones. Contributing to the literature review of applying flipped classrooms in teaching English in Vietnam, Huynh & Nguyen (2019) implemented a 10-week flipped interpretation course for 37 English-majored undergraduates. The students are requested to read the assigned chapters, watch videotaped lectures, access suggested supplemented online materials, and then engage in the discussion forum. During class time, they are supposed to actively take part in student-centered activities. The results of their study reveal that flipped instruction engenders positive perceptions from students. Huynh & Nguyen (2019) especially appreciate Moodle as an effective platform for conducting flipped courses. 6 3. CONCLUSION As seen from the literature review above, in general, flipped classroom reveals some prominent advantages worth considering. However, the following questions: should traditional classroom be replaced with flipped classroom? And, in what contexts should flipped classrooms be used? Are still controversial. In addition, there is still a big gap of research on foreign language flipped classrooms in the world, especially in Vietnam, that needs to fill in. Specifically, there is little research investigating the process of implementing a flipped class and the perceptions of both teachers and students toward this model. Therefore, there is a need to conduct more studies on those research areas in order to provide language teachers more insights into the model. References Arnold-Gara. (2014). The flipped Classroom. College & Research Libraries News 75, no.1; 10-13 Baker, J. Wesley. (2000). The Classroom Flip: Becoming the Guide by the Side. Communication Faculty Presentations. 11. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/media_and_applied_communications_presentations/11 Basal, A. (2015). The implementation of a flipped classroom in foreign language teaching. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education, 16, 28-37 Bergmann, J., & Sams, A. (2012). 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