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Martha Lara-Freire; Gloria Escudero-Orozco
Investigación y Desarrollo • Volumen 11 • 2016 • Diciembre • Nº 1 • ISSN: 1390-5546 / e-ISSN: 2361-2557
and apply the grammar content, 81% considered that the WSQ
chart was useful for understanding the grammar content in the
video lessons. Students who recommended the use of grammar
video lessons in the English classroom was 96%, and 88% of
them recognized the high contribution of the video lessons in
the development of activities in the class in an autonomous way.
Overall 85% of students felt satisfied with the grammar video
lessons used as a tool to develop independent learning cognitive
skills.
DISCUSSION
T
eachers are always innovating by finding new methods
and strategies to motivate students to learn English.
However, learners are not conscious of the need to speak a
foreign language. Numerous students take English classes as
a requirement to graduate from the different undergraduate
programs. In general, students consider English as one of the
most difficult subjects to study. For that reason, it is essential to
give them reasons to learn and master this language. Students
need to acknowledge the importance of English to study a
master’s degree, to be granted an international scholarship in
the most recognized universities around the world, read and
understand books, and the experience of interacting with English
speakers through social networks.
Various statements about the technology in the 21st century
have been made; however, it is possibly complicated to introduce
it in the classroom. Nevertheless, it is essential to remember
that technology transforms the classroom experience from a
classic teacher-centered into a student-centered experience
with students taking a more active role in their learning. Certain
constraints teachers face when inserting technology in the
classroom were limited to time, to experimentation, and inefficient
training for teachers. Despite the attraction technological
activities add to the lesson, planning the activities in the Virtual
Classroom require extra time. The teacher has to administrate
the classroom and choose the most effective activities to reach
the main goal, which is to motivate students to learn English.
While technology keeps evolving, English teachers have limited
possibilities to stay updated regarding the managing of new
technologies and the technical support they are able receive.
Since the main qualification of an English teacher is not mastering
the use of new technology, there are several possibilities to get
effective training in the area of recording videos and managing
Virtual Classrooms efficiently.
The first related study mentioned in the introduction of this paper
showed how students had to record their activities as homework
(Han, 2015). In contrast to this study which used grammar video
lessons that students had to watch. They are similar in terms
of measuring the effects of creating independence in learning,
which, in fact, was proved once student exhibited a high level
of independence by doing the task voluntarily and repeatedly
without any inhibition at the end of the interventions. The second
comparison is made between the article Using the flipped
classroom to enhance EFL learning and the present study, they
concentrated on improving independence to increase knowledge,
however the former one focused on motivation which in fact
proved to be a key point to create students’ autonomy.
Different studies have pointed out that the flipped classroom
model, which in fact, and based on evidence, is successful.
Nevertheless, it is reasonable to discuss some findings from
studies related to traditional classroom models (Kaye, 2008),
especially to those for which it is claimed the flipped classroom
is not able applicable. For instance, in the study Flipped in
communication: the author points out that students working
with flipped classrooms do not create opportunities to engage
in real communication, which sometimes is not accurate (Olsen,
2018). In fact, this study contradicts this view because the
flipped classroom has to do with blended learning and since this
study concentrated on watching the theoretical part at home, the
real communication indeed happened in class. In addition, the
environment flowed smoothly creating natural interaction with
other learners.
Furthermore, Tarhini (2014), stated that another disadvantage of
the flipped classroom model possibly includes little or no in-person
contact with the faculty member. Conversely, during the project
intervention, the teacher was able to answer questions about
what problems students had in understanding and discussing
in class the student’s doubts, points of view and feedback from
students’ WSQ chart. This process facilitated the teacher to have
more control over the aims, the pace and the materials. Another
benefit of traditional classroom over the flipped classroom
method is that it provides students with a fixed schedule and
specific periods dedicated exclusively to learning (Paduraru,
2008). With flipped classrooms procrastination can become a
common attitude while traditional classrooms preserve a feeling
of real time (Paduraru, 2008). Finally, learning about technology
is conceivably a drawback for flipped classrooms teachers who
are less technologically literate and this class approach probably
becomes time consuming, adding more workload to teachers.
However, since teachers do not have to worry about other
problems such as mixed-abilities classrooms, late arrivals and