Comparing the Impact of Blended and Flipped Teaching Strategies on Students' Skimming Technique and Vocabulary Learning

This study explored the impact of blended and flipped teaching strategies on English Foreign Language (EFL) learners' skimming skill, vocabulary learning, and retention. In addition, it compared the impact and efficiency of the blended and flipped teaching strategies. As the initial step, 90 homogenous intermediate EFL learners were randomly selected and divided into three groups, including two experimental and one control group. an‎d as the second step, the reading and vocabulary pre-tests were administered. In the third step or treatment administration, the control group received instruction in the Traditional Learning (T-learning) context through the traditional teaching method. The blended experimental group received instruction in both Electronic Learning (E-learning) and T-learning contexts, while the flipped experimental group received instruction in the E-learning context. After completion of the treatment sessions, two posttests including reading and vocabulary tests were administered. In order to evaluate the participants' vocabulary retention, a delayed vocabulary posttest was administered 27 days later. With regard to the results of the data analysis, considering the first purpose of the study, both blended and flipped teaching strategies positively affected the participants' skimming skill, vocabulary learning, and retention. Regarding the second purpose of the study, the results manifested that, in comparison to the flipped teaching strategy, the blended teaching strategy was significantly effective in enhancing the participants' skimming skills, vocabulary learning, and retention. The results of this study can increase second language teachers and learners' awareness about the beneficial impact of blended and flipped teaching strategies in successful language learning.