Flipped Vocabulary Learning for Enhancing EFL Learners’ Vocabulary Knowledge

The purpose of this study is to explore how flipped vocabulary learning in an EFL university class would affect learners in their achievements and perceptions of learning. Thirty intermediate level students registered for a core English course were taught in a flipped way, and the other 30 in a traditional lecture-based manner in vocabulary lesson. Their pre- and post-test results were compared using t-test, and their answers to a survey questionnaire were analyzed to identify some benefits and/or suggestions for either flipped or non-flipped learning type. Although both groups obtained higher scores on their post-test, they showed a statistically significant difference when they were compared with each other, indicating that the flipped class students gained much more improvement (t=6.597, p<.001). In addition, it was found that overall flipped class students were more satisfied with their learning process such as internalizing vocabulary and using it contextually. On the other hand, the majority of the non-flipped class students focused mainly on understanding the meaning of new vocabulary. This study thus confirmed that flipped vocabulary learning can be an effective way of helping students expand vocabulary knowledge as well as improve their satisfaction and motivation in learning.