The Effect of Flipped Classroom on EFL Learners' Speaking Complexity, Accuracy, and Fluency: A Mixed-Methods Study

This study investigated the effect of the flipped classroom on intermediate EFL learners' speaking complexity, accuracy, and fluency, employing a sequential mixed methods design. To achieve this, two female intact classes at the intermediate level at Rasan English Language School in Isfahan, Iran, participated in the study. One of these classes was randomly assigned as an experimental group (N=16) and the other one as a control group (N=16). A PET was administered to both groups before the intervention to ensure that the participants were homogeneous. Next, the experimental group was taught based on a flipped classroom. The control group, however, was taught conventionally. The speaking section of the PET as pretest and posttest was given to the groups to measure the speaking components. MANOVA was applied to compare speaking complexity, accuracy, and fluency mean scores of the two groups. The effect of the flipped classroom on speaking complexity and fluency was significantly positive, while it was non-significant for speaking accuracy. At the qualitative stage, data from an interview with the experimental group participants were utilized to find out the participants' attitudes toward the flipped classroom.