Adapting to Modern Learning Challenges: the Use of Flipped Classroom for Enhancing Speaking Skills



The role of speaking skills in learning English is widely acknowledged worldwide. Speaking proficiency facilitates effective communication, as well as forms a cornerstone in the language learning process. However, mastering speaking skills is time-consuming and challenging. Therefore, to help students, teachers use a variety of teaching methods and technologies, one of which is flipped classroom approach, or reversed learning, proposed by Baker [1]. This paper examined various articles, which presented a comprehensive understanding of benefits and drawbacks of implementation of the flipped classroom approach in developing English speaking skills.

Keywords: Flipped classroom, speaking skills.

Introduction

The English language has been recognised as lingua franca, allowing international cooperation, trade and social development. Knowledge of English allows students to receive high-quality education in the world's leading universities. Therefore, Kazakhstan implemented the Trilingual Education Policy (2015), enhancing the role of the English language and considering it as a language for international communication. In Kazakhstan, English is a compulsory subject, which is taught on an ongoing basis from the 3rd grade and throughout the whole educational levels. However, even with the implementation of the policy, there is still a problem with Kazakhstani students’ English language level.

The main emphasis in English language education is on developing speaking skills. Educators have explored various pedagogical approaches in order to enhance students’ speaking. One of the strategies, the flipped classroom method, was introduced by Baker (2000). This approach presents a shift from the traditional teacher-centered teaching process to more student-centered. Flipped classrooms allow students to access instructional materials beforehand, enabling class time to be spent on interactive activities.

Main Part

Speaking skills

Speaking is one of the most complex components of language, consisting of various elements. They include effective listening skills, sociocultural issues, affective factors, linguistic and sociolinguistic abilities.

Linguistic competence consists of fluency and coherence, lexical resources, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation . Sociocultural issues can be addressed by acquiring communicative competence, which implies understanding of “how the language system works in a meaningful way” (Aburezeq, 2020). Educators also should take into account affective factors, such as building confidence among their students, in order to minimize stress during speaking.

Enhancing speaking skills requires various and frequent speaking tasks and involves 6 categories, proposed by Brown and Lee (2015). They include imitative, intensive, responsive, transactional, interpersonal, and extensive categories, which can be taught independently or together, based on lesson objectives.

Various components may be challenging to develop during English lessons. Therefore advancement of speaking can be achieved by the use of various tasks and materials, effective teaching strategies, and appropriate lesson design, which match lesson objectives.

Flipped Classroom

Flipped learning combines traditional and electronic teaching methods to provide students with a unique educational experience in order to meet students’ needs and goals. Reversed learning consists of four principles, known as F-L-I-P principles (Flipped Learning Network, 2014):

— Flexible environment.

— Learning culture.

— Intentional content.

— Professional educator.

If applied properly, Flipped Classroom offers a shift from input-oriented tasks, such as grammar explanation, to output-oriented tasks, for instance group work discussion (Hung, 2017). Additionally, it enables a more student-centered approach in comparison with traditional teacher-centered instruction (Liu and Zhang, 2022).

Other advantages, reported by the researchers, include improvement of speaking skills (Liu and Zhang, 2022; Aburezeq, 2020; Amiryousefi, 2017), creation of collaborative environment (Wu et al., 2017), enhancement of problem-solving skills through authentic tasks (Santhanasamy and Yunus, 2022). Additionally, the use of the flipped classroom allowed them to create a “real English language environment” (Liu and Zhang, 2022). However, the following issues should be taken into account: poor quality of the videos, inability to monitor students’ understanding and provide instant feedback (Liu and Zhang, 2022).

Students reported positive attitude towards Flipped Classroom approach, confidence in oral English (Liu and Zhang, 2022), enthusiasm, opportunity to examine materials at their own pace, increased communication and interaction between peers (Li and Li, 2022), opportunity to evaluate their and peers’ understanding of the materials and performances (Zainuddin et al., 2019). However, increased workload, problems with accessing videos and materials, problems with eyesight and back pains due to an extensive amount of time in front of the screen, and lack of attention to vocabulary and grammar (Amiryousefi, 2017) were reported as the main disadvantages by the students.

Flipped classroom approach is context-specific and the use of this method should be based on the students’ needs, learning context, acceptability of new teaching methods, mental and physical readiness of the students (Liu and Zhang, 2022; Li and Li, 2022).

Conclusion

In conclusion, the necessity of the English language has been emphasized worldwide, therefore Kazakhstan adopted the law of Three Langualism, which highlights the need to enhance English proficiency of Kazakhstani students. Despite these efforts, there are several challenges in achieving the desired level of English proficiency, especially speaking skills.

Speaking skills, consisting of linguistic, sociocultural, and affective dimensions, require a comprehensive approach in their development. One of several approaches to enhance speaking skills is the flipped classroom approach. It offers flexible environments, student-centered learning, intentional content delivery, and professional educator involvement. Numerous studies report that flipped classrooms improve speaking skills, foster collaboration. However, challenges such as poor quality of the videos, absence of instant feedback, and excessive screen time were identified as potential drawbacks.

Therefore, the application of the flipped classroom approach requires careful consideration of context-specific factors, students' readiness to novel teaching methods.

References:

1. Aburezeq, I. M. (2020). The Impact of Flipped Classroom on Developing Arabic Speaking Skills. Asia-Pacific Education Researchers, 29, 295–306. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299–019–00483-z
2. Amiryousefi, M. (2017). The incorporation of flipped learning into conventional classes to enhance EFL learners’ L2 speaking, L2 listening, and engagement. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching . http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2017.1394307
3. Baker, W. (2000). The» Classroom Flip»: Using Web Course Management Tools to Become the Guide by the Side. (pp. 9–17). Cedarville University: Communication Faculty Publication.
4. Brown, H., & Lee, H. (2015). Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language pedagogy. White Plains, NY: Pearson.
5. Burns, A., & Joyce, H. (1997). Focus on speaking . Sydney: National Center for English Language Teaching and Research.
6. Flipped Learning Network. (2014). What is flipped learning? Retrieved from https://flippedlearning.org/definition-of-flipped-learning/
7. Hung, H.-T. (2017). The integration of a student response system in flipped classrooms. Language Learning & Technology , 21 (1) , 16–27. Retrieved from http://llt.msu.edu/issues/february2017/hung.pdf
8. Li, Z., Li, J. (2022). Using the Flipped Classroom to Promote Learner Engagement for the Sustainable Development of Language Skills: A Mixed-Methods Study. Sustainability , 14. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14105983
9. Liu, G., Zhang, M. (2022). The Combination of Production-Oriented Approach and Flipped Classroom Teaching Model: An Experimental Research in the Listening and Speaking Class in Chinese Senior High School. Theory and Practice in Language Studies , 12 (8) , 1648–1658. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1208.23
10. Wu, W., Hsieh, J., & Yang, J. (2017). Creating an online learning community in a flipped classroom to enhance EFL learners’ oral proficiency . Journal of Educational Technology & Society , 20 (2) , 142–157.
11. Zainuddin, Z., Habiburrahim, H., Muluk, S., & Keumala, C.M. (2019). How do students become self-directed learners in the EFL flipped-class pedagogy? A study in higher education. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics , 8, 678–690. 10.17509/ijal.v8i3.15270