Investigating the Effect of Flipped Classroom Model on Kurdish EFL University Students’ Reading Skill

Abstract

Technology has great effects on all the fields of science, including language teaching. Flipped Classroom Model, a relatively new method of teaching with strong ties with technology, has recently gained popularity and drew the attention of many educators. Several previous studies in various fields of science, including language teaching, show the effectiveness of Flipped Classroom Model (henceforth FCM) in developing students’ achievement. The current study aims at investigating the effect of Flipped Classroom Model on Kurdish EFL university students’ reading skill. It also aims at revealing the impact of Flipped Classroom Model on developing students’ autonomy and motivation. It further aims at finding out to what extent the students are satisfied with FCM employment in their classes. The participants of the study were 60 first-year students of English Department, College of Education, Charmo University. The study took place in the second semester of the academic year 2021-2022. The students were divided into two equal groups, a control group (n. 30) and an experimental group (n. 30). The same syllabus was taught to both groups by the same teacher (researcher 1) for 15 weeks. Three methods were used to collect the required data which were pre- and post-tests, a questionnaire and an interview. The SPSS analyses of the test results revealed significant differences between the two groups’ achievements in favor of the experimental group (t= -3.306, P= .002). Moreover, the questionnaire and interview results clearly showed that the experimental group students have positive perceptions on FCM implementation in their classes. Furthermore, the questionnaire and interview results showed that Flipped FCM implementation developed the students’ autonomy and motivation to study. The study recommends utilizing FCM in teaching other skills and sub-skills such as speaking, writing and grammar.