ERIC Number: EJ1137524
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1436-4522
EISSN: N/A
Creating an Online Learning Community in a Flipped Classroom to Enhance EFL Learners' Oral Proficiency
Wu, Wen-Chi Vivian; Hsieh, Jun Scott Chen; Yang, Jie Chi
Educational Technology & Society, v20 n2 p142-157 2017
Since the advent of new technology for learning, innovative language instructors have been constantly seeking new pedagogy to match the potential of technology-enhanced instruction. While previous studies have supported the adoption of technologies to facilitate language teaching and learning, research into enhancing English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' oral proficiency by creating an online learning community in a flipped classroom remains insufficient. Therefore, the current study examined the impact of an online learning community in a flipped classroom, specifically via mobile platforms, on EFL learners' oral proficiency and student perceptions. Fifty English-majored sophomores enrolled in two oral training classes at a four-year comprehensive university in central Taiwan participated in this study. A mixed method was employed to analyze multiple sources of data, including pre- and post-tests on oral reading and comprehension questions, a "Community of Inquiry" (CoI) questionnaire, and semi-structured focus-group interviews. The results from multiple sources indicated that the online learning community not only facilitated meaningful and positive collaboration but also significantly improved the participants' oral proficiency, thus leading to more active engagement in highly interactive learning activities, such as storytelling, dialogue collaboration, class discussion, and group presentations.
Descriptors: Computer Mediated Communication, Communities of Practice, English (Second Language), Blended Learning, Oral Language, Mixed Methods Research, Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Majors (Students), Pretests Posttests, Language Proficiency, Teaching Methods, Student Attitudes, Questionnaires, Oral Reading, Semi Structured Interviews, Focus Groups, Interviews, College Students, Learning Activities, Story Telling, Dialogs (Language), Educational Technology, Foreign Countries
International Forum of Educational Technology & Society. Available from: National Sun Yat-sen University. Department of Information Management, 70, Lien-Hai Rd, Kaohsiung, 80424, Taiwan. Web site: http://www.ifets.info
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Taiwan
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A