The effectiveness of flipped classrooms on enhancing learners’ knowledge acquisition in

Business English context

Nguyen Thu Hang, M.A

Danang University of Foreign Language Studies, Danang, Viet Nam

[email protected]

Abstract
Abstract

In the context of globalization, innovative teaching and leaning methods have obviously been a
matter of concern that language educators and teachers have to wrestle with. The purpose of
this paper is to investigate the impacts of flipped classrooms on learners’ knowledge
acquisition in Business English courses at Danang University of Foreign Languages Studies in
Vietnam. The study is based on theoretical foundation of flipped classrooms, English for
specific purposes (ESP) and knowledge acquisition. The method in this study was quasi-
experimental with tests among the learners. The findings of the study revealed the efectiveness
of flipped classrooms in enhancing knowledge acquisition in Business English contexts.
Therefore, flipped classrooms appeared to be beneficial tools in boosting leaners’ acquisition of
content knowledge. The findings of this study then suggest significant implications for
Business English teachers, syllabus designers as well as language educators.
Keyword: flipped classrooms, knowledge acquisition, ESP, Business English

Introduction
In the context of Danang University of Foreign Language Studies, in the curriculum of
Business English, in which students are to carry out group projects as mid-term assessment,
along with participation/attendance and end-of-term exams. This study aims at investigating
the impacts of flipped classrooms on students’ knowledge mastery in Business English lessons
and contributing to lecturers’ efforts in innovating the implementation of PBL at Danang
University of Foreign Language Studies. Commented [C1]: "objective of the study" , one or two
sentences here

Theoretical background

The concept of flipped classroom

The context of globalization and advanced technology can help facilitate educators in teaching
activities. One approach recently applied by educatorss is the flipped (or inverted) classroom,
the termed coined in 2000 (Lage et al., 2000). In flipped (or inverted) classroom, students use
technology to get access to the lectures and other related resources outside the classroom in
order to equip themselves with new knowledge and the become more active during in-class
time through problem-based learning and learning activities (Giannakos & Chrisochoides,
 2014; Bishop & Verleger, 2013).
The application of PBL has been supported by a great number of scholars all over the world.The
flipped classroom, as stated by Lage et al. (2000), refers to a specific model of blended learning
design that restructures the traditional teaching.
In this approach, videos and other forms of multimedias are used to move lectures outside the
classroom, and students and teachers have time for active learning in the classroom (Bishop &
Verleger, 2013). The flipped classroom has been used in a number of education studies (Bishop
and Verleger, 2013), particularly in higher education, with motivating results (Gannod et al.
2008; Mason et al., 2014).
A great number of scholars all over the world supported the numerous benefits of flipped
classrooms as they enhance students' performance, attitudes, and engagement. Flipped learning
can provide the students opportunities to learn in a more differentiated manner than passive
forms (Willey & Gardner, 2013).
Regarding student engagement, in the qualitative surveys, students perceived the use of
classroom activities that activated higher-rank thinking to be more encouraging (Davies et al.,
2013; Wilson, 2013). The more time students spend in the higher levels of thinking and problem
solving, the more they feel involved with authentic learning, and the perceived quality of the
learning is thus higher (Wilson, 2013). What’s more, flipped learning enhanced learning
autonomy among students through more active learning (Lage et al., 2000).
To put it in a nutshell, there are a wide range of he benefits to the student in flipped classroom
approaches including more one-on-one or small group time with students, opportunities for self-
paced learning, more opportunities for collaboration and just-in-time instruction (Roach, 2013).

Knowledge acquisition
Regarding learning theory and learning assessment, one of the most widely used taxonomies for
different aspects of learning is Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives (Bloom, 1956).
The current version of this taxonomy (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001) covers a list of six broad
categories of learning outcomes ranging from those representing lower level skills to those
representing higher level skills as shown in Figure 1 below:
Creating
Evaluating
Analyzing
Applying
Understanding
Remembering
Figure 1. The current version of Bloom taxonomy (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001)
1. Remembering. Remembering is represented (for example, on exams) by defining terms,
naming objects, arranging things in order, repeating statements, and so on.
2. Understanding. Understanding is represented by being able to explain concepts, classify things
into categories, describe principles, or restate information in one’s own words.
3. Applying. Applying is represented by using knowledge and rules to solve problems, writing a
report, or doing a job.
4. Analyzing. Analyzing is represented by comparing and contrasting, criticizing, asking good
questions, generating hypotheses, or categorizing things.
5. Evaluating. Evaluating is represented by making judgments, arguing and debating, defending a
point of view, or making an assessment.
6. Creating. Creating is represented by designing, planning, writing proposals, setting up
experiments, drawing diagrams, building devices, and so on.
In any particular activity, the levels of learning that are aimed at should inform the types of
assessment (or measurement) in use. Most activities have multiple levels of learning as their
goals, though not all of the above levels.
For the above reasons, the current research on knowledge acquisition includes measurement of a
combination of remembering, understanding, applying, and analyzing, the first four levels of
Bloom’s Taxonomy. In this paper, the reseacher analyze and discuss data concerning our
different methods of measuring those learning outcomes. The highest levels of Bloom’s
Taxonomy, evaluating and creating, are generally more relevant when people are showing their
judgements or building models, not implementing simple classroom tasks. It is for this reason
that they are not under discussion in this study.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study was to examine the impacts of flipped classroom on students’
knowledge acquisition of Business English. The study aims at answering the following question:
Are flipped classrooms beneficial for enhancing students’ knowledge acquisition in Business
English lessons?

Research Methodology
In the application of a mixed methods, quasi-experimental method was chosen to achieve the Commented [C2]: What is the name of exact method?
I advice that quasi - experimental method because it is
research purpose. The study was carried out from August 2018 to December 2018 at Danang suitable with your description of data collection.
University of Foreign Language Studies. Participants were 100 second-year Vietnamese students
(divided into four separate classes) enrolled in Business English courses all taught by the
researcher as their lecturer at Danang University of Foreign Language Studies. In general, the
students were classified by English placement test at the university as students at B1 level in
the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) framework.
During the intervention, two classes were randomly assigned to the flipped classroom condition
(flipped group) and the other two classes were assigned to the no- flipped classroom condition Commented [C3]: experimental group
(non-flipped group). Dependent measures included tests among the participants. Commented [C4]: check
The learning material used in this study is the course book “Business Advantage” by Koester,
Pitt, Handford & Lisboa (2009) within the setting of PBL of Business English classrooms at
Danang University of Foreign Language Studies. The course book integrates business concepts
and business theories with problem solving since each unit presents a problem and students are
assigned projects in which they have to find out the solutions to the problem. The unit in the
study was “Accounting” and the assignment for the unit include the design of a balance sheet of
a company in a period of one fiscal year.
Students in the flipped group have video lectures which are posted on Google online classroom,
which is free Internet programs. As a rule, students in the flipped group were required to view
the video lectures prior to the start of class. The current reseacher decided to use the google
online classrooms as the tool for flipped classroom because no installation will needed for this
and the students will just need to get online and download the Business English video lectures
and supplemented documents there. The only thing they need was the passwords given by the
lecturer as the current reseacher. The first 10 minutes of class was devoted to answering any
questions from the video lecture followed by a variety of activities including case-studies,
problem-solving, and students developing their own questions for peers and the instructor to
answer.
The non-flipped group consisted of traditional lecture of the same content as the flipped one;
however, they are not required to equip themselves with the new knowledge. As a matter of fact,
the students did not gain the new knowledge until it was explained by the lecturer.
After the treatment had been implemented, a test was carried on both flipped and non-flipped
groups with an aim to determining the effectiveness of flipped classroom on the students’
knowledge acquisition.
Measures of knowledge acquisition with a Business English test
The test consisted of 10 test items, among which the first eight test items are multiple-choice
questions, each having four response alternatives A,B,C, and D. To be more specific, Test item 1
to test item 4, which covered the major concepts related to the components of a balance sheet of
companies, were designed to assess participants’ recall and understanding (the two bottom
levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy) of the components of a balance sheet of companies. In a different
perspective, test item 5 to test item 8, were designed to assess participants’ application and
analysis (the next two higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy).
In test item 9 and 10, the participants were required to solve the problems by filling in the
missing infornation in 2 gaps in a balance sheet of a company. Test item 9 and 10 were designed
to enable the measurements of the participants’ use of knowledge and rules to solve problems
and their ability to analyze, compare and contrast or categorize things.
After the stage of data collection, the researcher scored the tests according to an answer key and
the overall score for this test was 100 points (10 points for each test item). The scores for
projects were then analyzed using SPSS 22 for further reliability in calculation.
Table 1 below provides an overview of the test items of the test by listing the question stems and
the levels in Bloom’s taxonomy that are assessed within the test items.
Table 1. Test items for the Business English test
Test items Question stems Levels of Bloom’s
Taxonomy
Test item 1 The notion of cost of sales 1,2
Test item 2 The notion of turnover 1,2
Test item 3 The notion of equity 1,2
Test item 4 The significance of bottom line 1,2
Test item 5 The differentiation between net profit and gross 3,4
profit
Test item 6 The differentiation between 3,4
assets and liabilities
Test item 7 The differentiation between 3,4
creditors and debtors
Test item 8 The completion of the missing infornation in the 3,4
gaps in a balance sheet of a company.
Test item 9 The completion of the missing infornation in the 3,4
gaps in a balance sheet of a company.
Test item 10 The completion of the missing infornation in the 3,4
gaps in a balance sheet of a company.

Results and Discussion

Test scores and paired t-test of Business English test

Test scores were analyzed to determine the effect of flipped classroom on student knowledge Commented [C5]: check tense
acquisition in Business English lessons. Table 2 provides figures related to average score (mean) Commented [C6]: check preposition or remove ...
for the 10 test items of the test.

Table 2. Mean Scores and Standard Deviations for Multiple-choice test

TEST ITEMS FIGURES FLIPPED GROUP NON-FLIPPED GROUP

Test item 1 Mean 8.8000 6.5000

Std. Error Mean .32660 .47937

Test item 2 Mean 8.7000 6.7000

Std. Error Mean .33800 .47258

Test item 3 Mean 6.2000
7.9000
Std. Error Mean
.40936
.48783
Test item 4 Mean 6.1000 4.6000

Std. Error Mean .49021 .501642

Test item 5 Mean 4.6875
6.0000
Std. Error Mean
4.92366
.50164
Test item 6 Mean 5.7000 4.7000

Std. Error Mean .49757 .50161

Test item 7 Mean 4.8000 3.5417

Std. Error Mean .50212 .48078

Test item 8 Mean 4.7000 4.484

Std. Error Mean .50161 .47940

Test item 9 Mean 4.4000 2.6316

Std. Error Mean

.49888 .44327
Test item 10 Mean 3.1000 2.6000

Std. Error Mean

.46482 .44084

As clearly shown in Table 2, the average score of the two groups is relatively high in the case of
the first four test items (ranging from 8.8 to 4.6 for both flipped group and non-flipped one) with
the higher average scores for flipped group. In fact, this situation can be justified by the fact that
the first four test items require new concepts construction, which is at the lowest level of
Bloom’s taxonomy. As a matter of fact, students can get hold of the memorizing and
understanding and flipped classroom approach proves to be somehow beneficial for students’
new knowledge mastery at the lower level of recall and understanding.
On the contrary, it can be seen from Table 2 that the average scores for test items 5, 6, 7 and 8
for both of the two groups is in the middle rank in mean or average scores. The test scores of
flipped group are relatively higher than those of the non-flipped group. The reason for this may
lie in the nature of the levels in Bloom’s taxonomy that are assessed with these questions. In this
group of test items, participants’ application and analysis (the next two higher levels of Bloom’s
Taxonomy) of a balance sheet and cash flow of companies can be measured. It can be inferred
from these results that the application of flipped classrooms can be effective for improving
learning outcomes the higher level of application and analysis (the next two higher levels of
Bloom’s Taxonomy).
As seen from Table 2, it is also remarkable that the lowest test scores belong to test item 9 and
10, with the comparatively higher marks for the flipped group. It can then be inferred that flipped
classroom can facilitate the participants’ use of knowledge and rules to solve problems and their
ability to analyze, compare and contrast or categorize things. This finding can be validated by the
affirmation that the flipped environment enabled students to remain at higher levels of Bloom’s
Taxonomy for longer periods of time (Enfield, 2013). The longer students remain in the higher
levels of thinking and problem solving, the more higher students’ engagement in authentic
learning is, and the perceived quality of the learning is greater (Wilson, 2013).
In terms of overall test performance, test scores for flipped group are comparatively higher than
those of the non-flipped group, which is evident in all of the 10 test itmes. In a word, the data
revealed that students in flipped condition consistently scored higher than non-flipped one in the
whole test and each of its test item.
In order to determine the reliability of the Business English test as used in this study, Cronbach’s
alpha was calculated and the reliability coefficient for items is high (α ≥ .93), which suggests that
the Business English test is reliable.
With a view to investigating the effect of flipped classroom on students’ knowledge acquisition
in Business English classrooms, paired sample statistics and paired t-test were analyzed to
compare the means of test results of the flipped group and non-flipped group (as shown in table
3,4 and 5 below).
Table 3. Paired Samples Statistics
Std. Std. Error
Mean N Deviation Mean
Pair 1 FLIPPED GROUP 6.0200 50 1.91300 0.60494
NON-FLIPPED
4.6372 50 1.61973 0.51220
GROUP

Table 4. Paired Samples Correlations

N Correlation Sig.
Pair 1 FLIPPED GROUP &
NON-FLIPPED 100 0.923 0.000
GROUP

Table5. Paired Samples Test

Paired Differences
95% Confidence
Std. Std. Interval of the
Deviatio Error Difference Sig. (2-
Mean n Mean Lower Upper t df tailed)
Pair FLIPPED
1 GROUP –
NON- 1.38284 0.75234 0.23791 0.84465 1.92103 5.812 9 0.000
FLIPPED
GROUP

There is strong evidence from the data above (t=5.812, p=0.000) that the intervention of flipped
classroom improved test scores among the flipped group. In this data set, there is a quite
significant improvement in test scores, on average, by approximately 1.38 points. In addition,
results from Table 4 and 5 revealed that flipped condition accounted for a significant proportion
of the test variance, since p = 0.000 in this case (the null hypothesis is rejected) and the
confidence interval for the difference is 95% (1.92103, 0.84465) with corelation of 0.923.
To conclude, it can be inferred from paired sample statistics and paired samples test that flipped
classroom can enhance students’ knowledge acquisition in Business English courses at the
university under investigation. The findings of this study are in line with the point affirming that
the flipped environment afforded students to remain at higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy for
longer periods of time (Enfield, 2013).

Conclusion
In summary, the results from this study are promising and strongly suggest the continued use of
the flipped classroom approach in this course. It can therefore be concluded that the application
of fippled classroom improves knowledge acquisition and learning outcomes in Business English
classrooms and enhance understanding and students’ mastery of Business English concepts and
theories along with their practical application of knowledge. In this case, students can have many
opportunities to observe, brainstorm concepts, solve the problems related to the concepts so that
more meaningful insight into knowledge can be achieved.
In addition, within the faciliation of flipped classrooms, students appreciate the ability to digest
the content in a self-paced manner, and preparations can be made in advance before the next
class period (Davies et al., 2013; Gaughan, 2014; Murphree, 2014).
In conclusion, the findings offer an overall picture of flipped classrooms for Business English
students at a university in Viet Nam. To be more specific, the results of the study reveal that
there is a strong correlation between flipped classrooms and enhanced learning efficiency and
knowledge mastery.
Above all, flipped classrooms can equip teachers with effective tools for effective teaching in
Business English classroom contexts. Teachers are those who should master the flipped
classrooms strategies and then utilize and combine them in the most flexible and effective way.
In other words, the procedures for flipped classrooms should be modified by teachers depending
on the teaching and learning contexts.

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