The effect of a flipped writing classroom on writing performance and self-regulation of Iranian EFL learners

Document Type : مقالات علمی پژوهشی

Authors
J. Fathi 1
Z. Naghshbandi 2
P. Mohamadi 3
1 Assistant Professor in TEFL, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Kurdish Language and Literature, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran
3 MA student in TEFL, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran
10.29252/LRR.12.4.20
Abstract
With the advent of innovative technological tools and in line with a shift from teacher-centered towards student-centered approaches in language teaching, new opportunities have been introduced to contribute to improving language learning. The related literature asserts that this new mode of teaching might have both benefits and challenges which could influence teachers and learners’ participation in the newly emerged flipped learning. Keeping this in mind, the present study was set to investigate the effect of a flipped writing classroom on writing performance and writing self-regulation of Iranian EFL learners. In so doing, two intact classes were selected as the participants (N=48) of the study and they were randomly assigned to the Control Group (N = 25) and the Experimental Group (N = 23). Over a period of one semester, the Control Group was taught using traditional writing instruction, whereas the Experimental Group was taught in a flipped learning mode. Two timed writing tasks were administered to collect the data. The results of the study demonstrated that the flipped group outperformed the non-flipped group in terms of both writing performance and writing self-regulation. This study's findings and suggestions for future flipped classrooms can serve as a template for integrating flipped instruction into the EFL curriculum.



1. Introduction

A flipped teaching methodology, a recently emerged mode of learning, might be a viable alternative to traditional EFL classrooms where active engagement of the learners may not be guaranteed. The fundamentally beneficial function of this mode of instruction is time management and more effective use of classroom time (Fathi & Rahimi, 2020). Within this learning environment, learners have access to the learning materials prior to the actual classroom and they are required to learn the materials before attending the class, consequently, formal class time is more devoted to doing assignments and learning tasks in a collaborative manner. Therefore, learners in the class are more actively engaged in learning process (Tian & Zhou, 2020). In other words, flipping the classroom is operationalized by providing the learners with instructional materials such as recordings of lectures, videos, and key readings prior to formal class time, then devoting formal class time to engaging the learners in more active and interactive activities based on the instructional materials (Buitrago & Díaz, 2018).

In order to investigate these hypotheses and to shed more light on the role of flipped instruction in influencing affective variables in language learning, the present study investigated the impact of flipping the classroom for an EFL writing course on Iranian students’ writing performance and self-regulation. Therefore, to accomplish the objectives of the present study, three research questions were formulated:



Research Question 1: Does flipped writing instruction significantly enhance Iranian EFL learners’ L2 writing performance?

Research Question 2: Does flipped writing instruction significantly enhance Iranian EFL learners’ L2 writing self-regulation?



2. Literature

Buitrago and Díaz (2018) stated that in the late 1990s, some economy teachers used several multimedia files to their instruction and called this new way of content delivery as inverted classroom. Later, Baker (2000) employed this new mode of teaching and renamed it as flipped classroom. Many researchers have investigated FC from different perspectives since the 1990s.

Within the related literature, few empirical studies have investigated flipped learning in L2 contexts (e.g., Adnan, 2017; Hsieh et al., 2017; Hung, 2015; Lee & Wallace, 2017). In a study conducted at a South Korean university, Lee and Wallace (2017) compared the two groups of EFL learners taught either by a communicative language teaching approach or in a flipped learning manner. Data was gathered from the students’ performance in three main tasks, their responses to three surveys, and the teacher’s notes on the students’ engagement in the process of their English learning. The findings revealed that the students in the flipped classroom outperformed the non-flipped classroom in their final examination. Additionally, survey results indicated that the majority of students in the study appeared to have enjoyed learning English in a flipped learning environment. Furthermore, the teacher found the students in the flipped classroom to be more engaged in the learning process. In an another study, to examine the effects of the flipped classroom model for EFL learners, Hsieh et al. (2017) employed flipped learning and Wen’s Output-driven/Input-enabled model to design a holistic oral training course for the learning of English idioms. The participants were required to learn English idioms via flipped learning, using the LINE smartphone app, and by conventional instruction. The results of the study revealed that the theory-based flipped instruction not only improved the participants’ motivation, making them more active in using idioms in class, but also significantly enhanced their idiomatic knowledge.



3. Methodology

Participants of the present study were a sample of English majors studying at an Islamic Azad University in Tehran, Iran. The sample included both male and female students. They were two intact classes required to pass the ‘advanced writing course’ taught by the same instructor. The two classes were randomly assigned to an experimental group as the flipped classroom and a control group as the non-flipped classroom. The instructor had previous experience of conducting flipped instruction for EFL learners. Prior to starting the current course, some of the students had already experienced blended learning, but nobody had ever studied in flipped classrooms. However, some general explanations regarding FC and its instructional design were given to the participants before the conduction of the flipped intervention.

4. Results

The results of the study demonstrated that the flipped group outperformed the non-flipped group in terms of writing performance. More particularly, the findings of this study verified the findings of a number of previous studies which reported the beneficial effects of flipped instruction on EFL writing performance. Moreover, it was found that the flipped course improved the writing self-regulation of the experimental group students. It can be argued that more engagement, sense of agency and responsibility in conjunction with further self-evaluation because of quick teacher- and peer-feedback were the likely causes of the improved writing self-regulation among the students.

Keywords

Subjects

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Language Related Research
Volume 12, Issue 4 - Serial Number 64
September and October 2021
Pages 627-659