Earticle

Recently, flipped classrooms have received increasing research interest in various disciplines (Gaughan, 2014). Although researchers have identified major psychological factors affecting the quality of the flipped classroom, these factors have not been systematically or simultaneously examined. Drawing on the questionnaire data obtained from 39 university second-language learners of different achievement profiles, this study explores the relative effects of students’ accepted workload, preferred form of work (group vs. individual) and perceived usefulness of flipped classrooms on these learners’ perceptions and acceptance of a flipped classroom. Additionally, based on these university L2 learners’ questionnaire responses, we examined if achievement levels (high vs. low achievers) would modulate the effects of the aforementioned factors. The results showed that high achievers could accept 2 hours of preparatory work prior to class, but that low achievers could only accept 1 hour of work. Additionally, while high achievers prefer individual work, low achievers like to work in groups. Based on the findings of the study, pedagogical implications for the implementation of the flipped classroom for mixed-level students are discussed.

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of ‘reading-while-listening’ input on L2 listening comprehension and learners’ perceptual change in listening comprehension problems (LCPs) pertaining to metacognitive awareness in test-based EFL listening contexts. Forty-eight undergraduates were assigned to one of the two intervention groups: (1) ‘reading aloud while listening’ (RAWL); (2) ‘reading silently while listening’ (RSWL). For data collection, this study utilized a pre- and a post-listening comprehension tests and surveys questionning the participants’ LCPs. The results revealed that overall both RAWL and RSWL input modes benefited comprehension by L2 beginners regardless of the interventions: reading aloud and silently while listening. In terms of LCPs beliefs, the RAWL influenced more positively on the participants’ perceptual change of LCPs relevant to metacognitive awareness than the RSWL. In particular, the RAWL input mode was more likely to be effective on ‘words’ and ‘meaning’ factors of LCPs. This seemed to be ascribable to oral plus aural effects as input enhancement by repetitivedly reading texts with L1 glossed key words.

This study reported on a strategically designed online summative exam in an L2 course and investigated the participants’ perceptions of the test mode in terms of cognitive test anxiety, self-reported study habits, and performance attribution. Out of 327 undergraduate students from various majors who enrolled in the obligatory course, 294 students voluntarily responded to 26 items of the survey questionnaire on a 7-point Likert scale, and one open-ended item. One-way ANOVA, factor analysis, and regression analyses were done using SPSS 26.0. Overall, the mean scores were around 3.67/7.00. Neither the pre-test scores nor majors influenced the four reduced factors (i.e., MODE-ANXIETY, COGNITIVE_ANXIETY, UNPREPAREDNESS, AND ATTRIBUTION). Factors that significantly influenced students’ exam performance were the pre-test score and UNPREPAREDNESS. The open comments revealed the participants’ overall acceptance of the online summative exam format. The significant correlation between the scores of pre-test and summative exam suggested the strategic exam design in this study was effective in terms of discouraging academic dishonesty. What online elements can be blended into classes while maintaining fairness and equitability should be a central topic in the future. Further study to examine both online and offline groups against a more elaborately designed online exam is recommended.