Applying the Flipped Classroom Model to Foster Motivation and Willingness to Communicate (Research Paper)

This study sought to investigate the effect of flipped classroom instruction on EFL learners’ motivation and willingness to communicate (WTC). To fulfill the above purpose, 68 intermediate learners were selected among 90 through their performance on a piloted sample English proficiency test. The learners were thence assigned into two control and experimental groups each with the same number of students (i.e., 34). The WTC test both inside and outside the classroom and the Attitude/Motivation Test Battery (AMTB) were given to the two groups as pretest. Both groups were taught by the same teacher for 12 sessions of 90 minutes using the same material. In the experimental group, the students underwent the treatment which was flipped classroom, whereas the learners in the control group received the usual instruction based on the syllabus of the language school. The same WTC and AMTB questionnaires were administered again as the posttest at the end of the instruction to the two groups. Two ANCOVAs were run concluding that the flipped classroom instruction had a significantly positive impact on EFL learners’ motivation and WTC. This study has implications for the ELT community including teachers, learners, syllabus designers, and educational managers (discussed in detail in the conclusion section) thus encouraging them to apply flipped classroom instruction for better results.