Flipping the Classroom for English Language Learners: A Study of Learning Performance and Perceptions

Innovative teaching in a form of the flipped classroom was adopted in an English course as a pilot project in a private university in Thailand. The purpose of this study was to assess how a modified "flipped classroom" had an impact on students' learning performance and perceptions. The target group involved in a non-randomized experiment was 40 students from one section enrolled in an advanced English course in the summer session of the academic year 2016. They were required to watch the prerecorded lectures before class and then attend class to discuss on the topics, share knowledge, and perform tasks. The instruments consisted of 1) 5 assignments which were administered to the students, 2) a questionnaire investigating the students' perceptions on the flipped classroom and 3) a questionnaire used to find out their perceptions on autonomy. Data were analyzed by using percentage, mean, and standard deviation. The findings revealed that after the students were taught in the flipped classroom, their English scores were satisfactory. The results showed that most students were satisfied with lecture videos and Edmodo, the learning platform. They demonstrated good perceptions on flipping the classroom. What they claimed to gain the most from this class was becoming an autonomous learner. In addition, students' autonomy perceptions were higher than those before they were taught through the flipped classroom approach.