MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY M.A THESIS THE IMPLEMENTATION OF FLIPPED CLASSROOM APPROACH IN TEACHING ENGLISH AT A PRIMARY SCHOOL IN HANOI (VIỆC TRIỂN KHAI PHƯƠNG PHÁP DẠY LỚP HỌC ĐẢO NGƯỢC TRONG VIỆC DẠY TIẾNG ANH TẠI MỘT TRƯỜNG TIỂU HỌC Ở HÀ NỘI) NGUYỄN THÚY HÀ MY Field: English Language Code: 8220201 HANOI – 2023 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY M.A THESIS THE IMPLEMENTATION OF FLIPPED CLASSROOM APPROACH IN TEACHING ENGLISH AT A PRIMARY SCHOOL IN HANOI (VIỆC TRIỂN KHAI PHƯƠNG PHÁP DẠY LỚP HỌC ĐẢO NGƯỢC TẠI MỘT TRƯỜNG TIỂU HỌC Ở HÀ NỘI) NGUYỄN THÚY HÀ MY Field: English Language Code: 8220201 Supervisor: Dr. Dang Ngoc Huong HANOI – 2023 CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I, the undersigned, hereby certify my authority of the study project report entitled The implementation of the flipped classroom approach in teaching English at a primary school in Hanoi submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in English Language. Except where the reference is indicated, no other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgement in the text of the thesis. Hanoi, 2023 Nguyễn Thúy Hà My Approved by SUPERVISOR Date:.
i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to use my most sincere and kindest words to express my wholehearted gratitude to those people who have motivated and supported me to make the research possible. Firstly, I would like to express my deep thanks to the Faculty of English, Hanoi Open University, for permitting me to accomplish this thesis. I am also grateful to all the teachers at the university for their interesting and useful lectures which have built in me a firm foundation with immense ideas for the fulfilment of this paper. Secondly, my gratitude is to Dr.
Dang Ngoc Huong for supporting me spiritually and academically. As my supervisor, he has always been patient and enthusiastic in guiding me during the research. I am so grateful for his kind and constructive advice, which can help me so much in improving my work. Additionally, I am wholeheartedly thankful for being a member of my beloved family with my parents and my younger sister.
My deepest thanks are to them for always filling me with unconditional love, emotional support, and enthusiastic encouragement, which could motivate me to overcome difficulties. Furthermore, I would like to thank my colleagues who are English teachers at Wellspring Primary School for their great support during my study. Lastly, I would like to send a big thank and pride to myself for not giving up until the last moments of the research. Above all, I am entirely satisfied and happy with the new and intriguing things I have gained along the way.
ii ABSTRACT The flipped classroom (FC) approach, which reverses the traditional model of instruction by having students access instructional content outside of the classroom, has gained attention in recent years. However, research on this approach has primarily focused on higher education settings or Western countries, leading to a gap in the literature regarding its application in primary schools in Hanoi, Vietnam. This study aims to bridge this gap by investigating the implementation of the FC approach in teaching English to 5th-grade students at Wellspring Primary School in Hanoi during the school year 2022- 2023. The study's objectives include determining the impacts of the FC approach on English teachers and students, identifying challenges that teachers and students may face when applying the FC approach, and suggesting ways to better implement the FC approach.
The research questions address these objectives. The study uses a mixed-methods approach, including surveys, and interviews. The findings and discussion section will analyze the data in detail and provide a thorough discussion of the results. The study's limitations and recommendations for further research will also be acknowledged.
Keywords: flipped classroom, primary school, implementation, challenges, impacts, recommendations, teaching, English, Hanoi. iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS FC Flipped Classroom TC Traditional Classroom BL Blended Learning WPS Wellspring Primary School iv LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Tables Table 1. Teacher-centered vs Learner-centered Pedagogy Table 2. Comparison between the TC and FC in achieving higher order thinking of Bloom’s Taxonomy Table 3.
Students’ perception of the FC impacts Table 4. Impacts of FC Approach on Students Table 5. Students’ challenges in FC lessons Table 6. Students’ preference for the FC method Figures Figure 1.
Focus in teacher-centered pedagogy Figure 2. Focus in learner-centered pedagogy Figure 3. Bloom’s revised taxonomy (2001) in the FC Figure 4. The structure of activities in the Flipped Class v TABLE OF CONTENTS CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY .iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS.
iv LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES.2 Aims and Objectives .3 Scope of the Study .4 Significance of the Study .6 Design of the Study .3 CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW .1 Review of Previous Studies .2 Review of the Theoretical Background .20 CHAPTER III: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.2 Research setting and participants .27 CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION .3 Limitations of the Research .4 Recommendations for Further Research. 54 APPENDIX 1: STUDENT SURVEY. 54 APPENDIX 2: TEACHER INTERVIEW. 58 APPENDIX 3: SAMPLE LESSON PLAN .1 Rationale The flipped classroom (FC) approach is an instructional strategy that aims to enhance student engagement and learning by reversing the traditional model of instruction.
In this approach, students access instructional content, such as lectures or multimedia resources, outside of the classroom, typically through online platforms. Classroom time is then devoted to interactive activities, problem-solving, and collaborative learning. While the FC approach has gained attention in recent years, it is necessary to explore its implementation and effectiveness, specifically in the context of primary education in Hanoi. While research on the FC approach has expanded considerably, a substantial portion of it has centered on higher education settings or Western countries, leading to a gap in the literature regarding its application in primary schools in Hanoi.
The educational landscape in Hanoi presents its unique challenges, including high student-teacher ratios and limited resources. It is crucial to investigate how the FC approach can be effectively applied in primary schools in Hanoi to optimize learning outcomes in this context. This research aims to bridge the existing research gap by investigating the implementation of the FC approach in teaching at a primary school in Hanoi. The findings of this study will contribute to the body of knowledge on educational practices in this specific context and provide insights for educators and learners to enhance teaching and learning experiences.2 Aims and Objectives This study aims to enhance the effectiveness of learning and teaching English to primary students.
To fulfill this aim, the effects of the application of the inverted learning model in teaching English to primary students at a school in Ha Noi are evaluated. In addition, the study also attempts to explore teachers’ and students’ 1 perceptions of the flipped model. To fulfill this aim, three specific objectives are set as follows: 1. To determine the impacts of applying the FC on English teachers and students at Wellspring Primary School.
To identify the challenges that teachers and students may face when applying the FC approach at Wellspring Primary School. To suggest ways to better the implementation of the FC approach at Wellspring Primary School.3 Scope of the Study The study was conducted on students and teachers during the school year 2022 – 2023. Twelve English teachers and ninety 5th-grade students participated in the research to help evaluate the use of the flipped class. The scope of this study concentrates primarily on the implementation of the FC approach in teaching and learning English at WPS (Wellspring Primary School).
This study does not examine the characteristics, benefits, and drawbacks of the method. Also, it does not compare the FC method to other previously utilized methods to determine its benefits and limitations. The initial emphasis of the study is on assessing the method's efficacy and identifying teachers' and students' challenges in flipped lessons. Finally, the study collects the suggestions and teaching experiences of teachers to better implement the flipped learning approach in lessons.4 Significance of the Study This study is hoped to provide new insights into implementation the flipped classroom model so that teachers and educators could develop more appropriate principles for this blended learning model in the future.
Furthermore, the findings of my study also make an important contribution to the analysis of perspectives of teachers and learners. Therefore, curriculum developers and teachers would know how to establish and set up suitable and compatible activities concerning this model.5 Research Questions The analysis of this study addresses the three research questions: 1. What are the impacts of applying the FC on English teachers and students at Wellspring Primary School? 2. What are the challenges that teachers and students may face when applying the FC approach at Wellspring Primary School? 3.
What are the suggestions concerning the ways to better the implementation of the FC approach at Wellspring Primary School? 1.6 Design of the Study This study consists of five chapters: Chapter 1: Introduction: introduces the rationale, purpose, research questions, scope, and structure of the thesis. Chapter 2: Literature review: covers the overview of the literature which includes relevant theoretical background and reviews of related studies. Chapter 3: Research methodology: includes an overview of the approach and procedures used to conduct the study. Chapter 4: Findings and Discussion: the data is analyzed in detail and a thorough discussion of the findings will be made.
Chapter 5: Conclusion: recapitulates the major findings of the study represents further recommendations for the implementation of the FC model and acknowledges the limitations of the study. 3 CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter reviews the literature on the FC. The chapters cover several key areas, such as the theoretical background of the FC approach, its nature and characteristics, the instructor's role in the FC, and the processes involved in using this innovative method.1 Review of Previous Studies While some research indicates that the flipped classroom (FC) approach yields numerous beneficial learning outcomes, other studies underscore the limitations associated with this method. For instance, the inverted model has the potential to enhance students' academic performance and satisfaction.
Alvarez (2012) authored the initial piece, which focused on the pupils at Clintondale High School in Clinton Township, Michigan. Over half of the incoming freshmen students in 2009 did not pass their English course. The school concluded that implementing an FC would provide pupils with additional time to adequately prepare for class. After one year of using the FC strategy, instructors at the school noticed a reduction in the percentage of students who failed, compared to the previous year where around one-third of pupils encountered failure.
According to Alvarez (2012), the findings at Clintondale High School indicate that the "flip approach" is highly beneficial for students as it enables educators to effectively address and remove barriers to learning. Additionally, this technique allows teachers to deliver their most effective presentations and share resources. In Vietnam, there is a severe scarcity of scholarly literature that focuses on empirical quantitative studies assessing the efficacy of the FC. In 2014, Nguyen Van Loi conducted a synthesis of studies on the FC model, examining its strengths and drawbacks.
Based on this analysis, implications were drawn for the application of this model in Vietnamese universities and colleges. The study determined that FC is a viable method for enhancing students' motivation to learn. However, there was insufficient data to establish the superiority of FC over other conventional campus- based models in terms of students' academic performance. 4 In their comprehensive study published in 2012, Bergmann and Sams asserted that the utilization of the flipped learning strategy resulted in a notable reduction in the duration required for students to grasp new concepts and information.
This innovative approach proved to be especially advantageous for students who faced challenges attending traditional lectures due to their commitments and involvements in various sports activities.