Enhancing grammar instruction for EFL secondary school students: Leveraging the flipped approach as a pedagogical intervention

Abstract

While flipped learning is a commonly applied pedagogical intervention, a careful review of empirical studies provides little evidence of its effectiveness in facilitating students’ grammar learning at the secondary school level in English as a foreign language (EFL) contexts. Unlike traditional grammar teaching methods that emphasize rule explanation and mechanical drills, flipped instruction pro motes a deeper understanding of grammar through learning enhancements such as interactive tasks and personalized support. To contribute to this line of inquiry, the current study investigates the role of a pedagogical grammar intervention that leverages the flipped classroom model as an instructional space for improving students’ grammar performance at a secondary school in Kazakhstan. A pre-test and post-test quasi-experimental design was employed to examine the extent to which this intervention affected students’ (N = 104) English gram mar learning. The results revealed that students in the experimental group who experienced flipped instruction made greater progress in learning grammar (d = 0.81) than those exposed to conventional pedagogy. The findings suggest that the flipped classroom worked as a useful delivery platform to facilitate the integration of enhancements that offer students greater time on task, diverse learning experiences, and social engagement. Leveraging the flipped approach also freed up teacher instructional time to spend less time on direct instruction and more on designing collaborative and interactive materials, such as jigsaw activities, guessing tasks, and board games. The paper concludes with implications for future research and practice concerning the integration of emerging technological affordances into language learning classes in secondary schools.