Abstract
The present study explores the efficiency of the flipped classroom approach on English for Academic Purposes (EAP) students’ academic vocabulary acquisition in comparison with the conventional teaching approach. The efficiency is examined by evaluating students’ post-test performance, self-perceived mental effort employed in completing post-test tasks, and perceptions regarding the learning experiences. To this end, 60 undergraduates divided into flipped (E) and conventional (C) group participated in the survey. Quantitative data analysis revealed that the flipped classroom approach showed higher instructional efficiency than the conventional approach as the E group significantly outperformed the C group and reported investing considerably lower mental effort in completing the post-test tasks. In addition, the E group expressed significantly more positive perceptions toward the learning experience than the C group. Considering the positive results obtained in the study, the article points out the use of the flipped approach as an example of good practice for enhancing academic vocabulary acquisition in EAP context.
Highlights
Vocabulary learning is an integral part of any second or foreign language (L2) course
Addressing the above issues, the present study investigates the use of the flipped classroom (FC) approach in teaching and learning the Academic Word List (AWL) items (Coxhead, 2000) to a relatively large group of first-year English for Academic Purposes (EAP) students with varying levels of English proficiency
The aim of the present study is to examine the efficiency of the FC approach in the teaching and learning of academic vocabulary as part of an EAP course, compared with the conventional approach
Summary
Vocabulary learning is an integral part of any second or foreign language (L2) course. The flipped classroom is an instructional approach in which lecture material typically covered during class is instead delivered online to the students As such, it is a less teacher- and more learner-centered approach offering self-directed and self-regulated learning which, in turn, is seen as one of the main predictors of greater academic achievement (Zimmerman & Kitsantas, 2014). In spite of its current popularity among educational specialists, the flipped classroom approach still seems to be in its infancy, as there is limited evidence of studies that have examined the approach under a pedagogical microscope (Abeysekera & Dawson, 2015) Referring to this lack of empirical evidence and all positive aspects of the FC stated above, as well as considering the aforementioned lack of a method that would best enhance the learning of L2
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