British Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences 87

April 2017, Vol. 16 (2)

The Effectiveness of Using Flipped Learning in Teaching English Language Skills at the
Preparatory Year at the University of Tabuk in Saudi Arabia

Kosay Moneer Alshewaiter

University of Tabuk
Alkhaleej Training & Education
Mobile: (+966) 599993767
Email: kosay@alkhaleej.com.sa

Abstract
The goal of this research was to investigate the effectiveness of using flipped learning in teaching
English language skills at the preparatory year at the University of Tabuk. The sample of the study
comprised 65 male students in their preparatory year. The researcher selected the sample of the study
randomly. In order to obtain the objectives of the study, the researcher used a questionnaire survey to
explore the participants (students) opinions about the use of flipped learning in teaching them English
language skills. Also, the researcher used a semi-structured interview for 3 English language instructors
to seek their point of views about the benefit of using flipped learning in teaching English language skills
to their students. The researcher used SPSS to analyze the data elicited from the students’ questionnaires
and looking at themes that emerge to find out the instructors’ perception concerning the use of flipped
learning in teaching English language skills. The findings of the research showed that the use of flipped
learning has a great contribution to teaching English language skills and is very effectives for developing
students’ skills at preparatory years of their education, particularly at university level. This study
recommends that preparatory year instructors should use flipped learning in teaching English Language
skills to get the best of their students. Also, this research recommends that further future research be
conducted in this area.

Key Words: Flipped Learning, English Language Skills, University of Tabuk, Preparatory Year.

Introduction
Flipped learning is a learning style in which the typical lecture and homework elements of a course
are reversed. Students are provided with a variety of tools to gain first exposure to material outside of
class. The material ranges from textbooks to YouTube channels or any assigned material (Gerstein,
2011). For example, students watch or listen to short video or audio lectures at home before the class
session, while in-class time is specified to exercises, projects, discussions, or solving problems. Students
often see the video lecture as the key ingredient in the flipped model, such lectures being either created by
the instructor and posted online or selected from an online archive. Pre-recorded lectures can be viewed
with ease today that the flipped model has come to be identified with it. The notion of a flipped classroom
draws on playing back what previously has been recorded of sounds or moving images (Baker & Mentch,
2000). This enhances active learning, student engagement and hybrid course design. The value of a
flipped class is in the utilizing of class time into a workshop where students can inquire about lecture
content, test their skills in applying knowledge, and interact with one another in hands-on activities.
During class sessions, instructors function as coaches or advisors, encouraging students in individual
inquiry and collaborative effort. The major point in flipping a class is to cultivate deeper, richer active
learning experiences for students when the instructor is present to monitor and guide them. So “the
teacher in a flipped classroom is a learning facilitator, able to work one-to-one with students, clarify
assignments, and offer help as needed. Classmates can work together on in-class assignments, engage in
discussions, or collaborate on projects” (Reeves, 1998).

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Motivating higher-order thinking skills and application to complex problems, collaborative
learning, case-based learning, peer instruction and problem sets featured flipped classes immensely.” In
terms of Bloom’s revised taxonomy (2001:2), this means that students are doing the lower levels of
cognitive work (gaining knowledge and comprehension) outside of class, and focusing on the higher
forms of cognitive work (application, analysis, synthesis, and/or evaluation) in class, where they have the
support of their peers and instructor” (Brinkley, 2012).
The term is widely used to describe almost any class structure that provides pre-recorded lectures
followed by in-class various activities so there is no single model for the flipped classrooms. In one
common example of a flipped classroom, students might view/listen to multiple lectures of five to seven
minutes each. Online quizzes or exercises can be done to test what students have learned. Immediate quiz
feedback and the ability to rerun lecture chunks may help filtrate points of confusion. Instructors might
arrange and facilitate in-class discussions or turn the classroom into a studio where students create,
collaborate, and put into application what they learned from the lectures they view outside class.
Instructors, as in –class monitors, suggest various approaches, clarify content, and record progress
(Strayer, 2007). They might organize students into an ad hoc workgroup to solve a problem that several
are struggling to understand. Because this approach represents a comprehensive change in the class
dynamic, some instructors have chosen to implement only a few elements of the flipped model or to flip
only a few selected class sessions during a term which results in significant learning gains when
compared to traditional classrooms. This paper focuses on advantages of flipped classrooms and the
feasibility of implementing reversed learning in English classes (Bagley, 2014).
Literature Review
The Flipped Learning™ model shifts instruction from a teacher-centered classroom to a student-
centered learning environment. Most of direct instruction in the Flipped classroom is delivered outside the
group learning space using video or other modes of delivery. Class time, then, is available for students to
engage in hands-on learning, collaborate with their peers, and evaluate their progress while teachers
provide one-on-one assistance, guidance, and inspiration. Teachers at all grade levels and subjects are
flipping their classroom (Brinkley, 2012).
A survey of 450 teachers, conducted by Classroom Window in conjunction with the Flipped Learning
Network (2012), found that teachers who were using Flipped Learning associate it with improved student
performance and attitudes and increased job satisfaction. Of the teachers surveyed, 66 percent reported
their students’ standardized test scores increased after flipping their classrooms. Eight in 10 perceived an
improvement in their students’ attitudes towards learning. Nearly 90 percent reported an improvement in
their own job satisfaction, with 46 percent reporting significant improvement.
Flipping as an educational tool is increasing in its popularity (Brinkley, 2012). Originally the
brainchild of Jonathan Bergmann and Aaron Sams (Information about the Flipped Classroom.) as a
remedial strategy for students who missed classes, flipping has been accepted as a regular classroom
practice in a number of schools, colleges, and universities. A typically model of flipping moves lecture
material through online delivery, extends conversations out of class through online discussions, and uses
classroom time for applications and doing “homework” guided by the instructor (Baker & Mentch, 2000)
and supported by peers. The present study used the theoretical model suggested by Gerstein (2011) where
the two sides of the flipped class are identified as “educator-suggested” and “learner-generated.” Strayer’s
(2007) study suggested future studies on exploration of the comfortability aspects of flipping. The present
study provides the view points of the participants in terms of comfortability as well as the technical
(workability) aspects of flipping in a higher education setting.
This research study was motivated by the challenge that Reeves (1998) presented to educators more
than a decade ago. Reeves called for research-focused studies for “improving teaching and learning
through media and technology . . .. The purpose of such research is to improve, not to prove” (p. 4). In
the context of this study, flipping was seen as a platform to experiment with both educator-suggested and
learner-generated activities that utilized media and technology. Flipped Learning professional learning

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services help instructors gain proficiency in the delivery of Flipped Learning instructional methods.
Teachers learn instructional strategies for the flipped classroom, spending more time providing one-on-
one assistance, guidance, and inspiration while students engage in hands-on learning, collaborate with
their peers, and evaluate their progress. This research investigates the effectiveness of using flipped
learning in teaching English language skills at the preparatory year at the University of Tabuk.
Statement of the Problem
English is the most used language throughout the world as a language of wider and international
communication. In Saudi Arabia, it is implemented in schools and colleges as the medium of instructions.
Language learners in Saudi Arabia, thus, are needed to learn the language skills such as reading, writing,
speaking and listening very carefully, more specifically at Preparatory year level (Al-Abdulkareem,
2004). Many preparatory year level instructors claim that teaching English language skills is very difficult
where traditional teaching methods area used. They state that their students have problems picking up
language skills very smoothly due to the used teaching methods in which there is no teaching methods’
variation. In this regard, the researcher felt there is an essential need for investigating the effectiveness of
using flipped learning in teaching English language skills at the preparatory year at the University of
Tabuk. This is to fill in the gap of literature and contribute not only to local knowledge but also to the
international body knowledge in the field of English as a foreign language learning, in Saudi Arabia in
particular and the region in general.
Research Objectives
This research intends to achieve the following objectives:
i. To investigate the advantages of flipped classrooms in teaching English Language skills for
Preparatory Year Students at the University of Tabuk.
ii. To explore the feasibility of implementing reversed learning in English classes at the Preparatory
Year Students at the University of Tabuk.
Research Questions
In order to achieve the research objectives, this study addresses the following research questions:
i. What are the advantages of flipped classrooms in teaching English Language skills for Preparatory
Year Students at the University of Tabuk?
ii. To what extent is implementing reversed learning in English classes at the Preparatory Year
Students at the University of Tabuk feasible?

Research Methods
Applying a mixed method research approach, this research investigated the comfortability and
workable aspects of flipping. The 65 preparatory year students were requested to fill in a questionnaire
survey to achieve their perceptions on flipping. Throughout the term, selected segments of the content
were flipped; announcements about the succeeding flipped content were normally made a week before or
class period before flipping. The instructor prepared materials were the written lectures, power points, and
supportive resources. Readings were assigned from textbooks and the instructor-prepared course
compendium. After studying these materials at home, the participants came prepared for the learner-
experienced classroom activities which included individual or group sessions such as report writing,
comparison matrix, group investigation, roundtable discussion and internet research. Online threaded
discussions were posted at the end of each unit (every 2-weeks, after 4 classes).
Each of these learner-generated learning activities was assessed. Participants used a reflective journal
for recording their reactions to the learning experiences at the end of every class at the University of
Tabuk. The instructor used a journal to enter the observation report of the learning activities during
flipping. Quantitative data from the questionnaires was analyzed using a t-test which facilitated the

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comparison of participants’ perceptions on the comparability and workability aspects of flipping. A post-
flipping questionnaire was administered at the end of the course. This research method was adopted and
adapted by the researchers to achieve the research objectives of the study.

Discussion and Findings

Qualitative analysis of data showed that participants esteemed the possession and self-sufficiency in
learning. Most participants demonstrated that in their journals that the follow-up activities of learning in
the classroom became more meaningful as they received support from peers and the instructor. While
group activities in classroom went smoothly, instructor observations revealed that individual activities
had time-related problems (as some participants needed more time to complete tasks than others).
The findings of the study showed that, as flipped learning has greatly and increasingly grown and
infiltrated the students’ classrooms at the preparatory year, this new learning model has emerged and
moved the outcome of the students at the university of Tabuk in Saudi Arabia away from a teacher-
centered class, and onto a more collaborative, student-centered learning environment, by way of a flipped
classroom. Also, the findings showed some of the advantages of this revolutionary learning style as
reflected in the students’ responses to the questionnaires and the pre-post tests’ findings. 83% of the
participants indicated that they gained more control over the lesson in a flipped classroom. This was
shown in their responses to extent teachers provide them with short lectures at home, students are given
the freedom to learn at their own pace which does not occur in traditional classroom.

The Control over the Lesson

Using Flipped Learning…
17% of the
participants
did not 83% of the
control… participants
controled
the lesson…

Also, 89% of them stated that using flipped learning in learning language skills is very effective and
encourages student to possess centered learning and collaboration. It helped them learn concepts from
each other with the guidance of their teachers. By allowing students to partake in their own learning, they
are able to own the knowledge they achieve, which in turn builds confidence.

The Effectiveness of Flipped Learning in Classroom

Teaching
Flipped Learning is Very Effective in Classroom Teaching 89%
Flipped Learning is not Effective in Classroom Teaching 11%

11%

On the other hand, 91% pointed out that flipped learning make lessons and assigned content are more
accessible by making video lectures available at all times online, students who are forced to miss class

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due to illness, sports, vacations or emergencies, can catch up quickly. Likewise, 95% of the students
showed that flipped learning provide their parents with easier access and follow up their children’s
progress as well as 79% of them indicated the efficiency of the use of flipped classroom learning in which
students can gain more time to be students, whether that means more free time, or more academic action.

The Access and Effieciency of Using

Flipped Learning Techniques in
Classroom Teaching
91% Easiness 95%
34% Accessability
79% Efficiency 36%
30%

The study points to a positive receptivity to flipping in higher education. While students accept
flipping as an appropriate tool for instruction, the procedural aspects of flipping need to be carefully
implemented. If the entire flipping schedule of the course is organized and communicated to students at
the beginning of the course, and then implemented as planned, students may consider them as more
workable. Accommodating for completing individual assignments in class need creative alternatives.

Conclusion
Incorporating technology into student learning is increasing dramatically as more and more schools
and almost all universities have become connected and more and more students have access to laptops
and different devices. The flipped classroom is one of the most effective many emerging techniques for
integrating technology into the classroom where teachers offer personalized guidance instead of lectures.
In this way, the classroom has been flipped from a traditional learning environment into a more effective
one. That is, flipped classroom learning allows students to learn on their own time and at their own pace
and gives students the opportunity to ask questions about the subject matter that they find confusing or
difficult. Moreover, students have more time for collaborating with other peers which can be a great
learning experience for the students and as a way for them to build their teamwork spirits. This indicated
in the 95% responses of the participants showing the advantages of using flipped classroom learning.
In a traditional lecture, students often try to capture what is being said at the instant the speaker
says it. They cannot stop to reflect upon what is being said, and they may miss significant points because
they are trying to transcribe the instructor’s words. By contrast, the use of video and other prerecorded
media puts lectures under the control of the students: they can watch, rewind, and fast-forward as needed.
This ability may be of particular value to students with accessibility concerns, especially where captions
are provided for those with hearing impairments. Lectures that can be viewed more than once may also
help those for whom English is not their first language. Devoting class time to application of concepts
might give instructors a better opportunity to detect errors in thinking, particularly those that are
widespread in a class. At the same time, collaborative projects can encourage social interaction among
students, making it easier for them to learn from one another and for those of varying skill levels to
support their peers. Moreover, when a student is preparing for an exam as they can go back and review
previous lectures.
Another great benefit is that after students engage with a digital lesson or watch a video at home,
they can brainstorm and prepare questions to ask the teacher which can open a discussion about anything
that may have been unclear or confusing. Coming to class prepared with ideas and questions is a great
way to jumpstart the class and share ideas between students. The flipped model puts more of the
responsibility for learning on the shoulders of students while giving them greater impetus to experiment.

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Moreover, sick days will no longer hinder a student’s ability to learn and follow up with other
classmates. With a flipped classroom, students review a lecture on their own time. On the same idea,
when a teacher is absent from school, students will not suffer from a substitute’s inability to teach the
lesson. The substitute only needs to oversee students working on their assignments in the classroom and
be able to answer questions instead of introducing new content. Finally, it allows students to have access
to various styles of teaching, this will increase their comprehension of the subject by watching various
styles of teaching by multiple teachers (3).

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© 2017 British Journals ISSN 2048-1268