The Comparative Analysis of Conventional and Flipped English Classrooms of a Korean Middle School: Focusing on Verbal Interaction and Perceptions

Abstract

Recently, communicative language teaching-based English classes in Korea were criticized for their non-communicative orientation and teacher-centeredness. Flipped learning (FL) has recently attracted the attention of educational fields for its inversion of the class structure and maximization of class time. This study aims to explore the nature of FL in English classrooms in the Korean EFL context and investigate perception changes in the participant teacher and her students. The participants were one English teacher and her 100 intermediate-level 9th-grade students in a middle school in Seoul. Two representative classes of 25 students were examined over sixteen weeks. To make a comparison, the classes in the first three weeks were conducted using the conventional method and FL was applied for the remaining thirteen weeks. During the flipped classes, students watched teacher-created online videos prior to each class and participated in task-based group activities in class. Among them, eight reading classes were selected and analyzed by the communicative orientation of language teaching observation scheme. Also, in order to investigate the effect of the flipped classrooms on the teacher and students, interviews with them were conducted and analyzed through a grounded content analysis. Several significant findings emerged from this study. First, flipped English classes allowed more communication and learner-centeredness in terms of instructional procedures and verbal interactions. Students, who watched online videos outside of the class, actively engaged in learner-oriented group activities. Therefore, the input, output, and interaction between the teacher and students and within students were increased and the aspect of verbal interaction was changed to be more communicative. Still, the learners low level of language proficiency hindered language development despite the increased input, and interactions. Second, the teacher redefined her role as a facilitator and evaluated that FL contributed to professional development. Students interest and attitude toward English were changed and resulted in an increase in self-confidence and motivation. Still, FL required an early adjustment period for both the teacher and students and imposed burden of class preparation on the teacher and that of group work on students. Based on the findings, the study discusses the implication of FL on Korean CLT-based classes and offers suggestions for further studies.