A Study on the Effects of Flipped Learning on Inferential English Reading Skills of Korean High School Students

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the effects of flipped learning on inferential reading comprehension skills of high school students and the affective domains in language learning. In order to examine the effectiveness of the flipped classroom on the inferential reading skills and changes on the affective domains of the students, a flipped classroom was run in a high school English class for two months by one of the researchers. Students were given pre-/post-tests, and in-depth interviews with a number of students were carried out. Also, questionnaires from both students and teachers were gathered so as to examine their perceptions about flipped learning English reading classes. The results showed that the scores of inferential reading comprehension tests increased. Also, both teachers and students perceived that the flipped learning approach was necessary and effective for improving inferential reading comprehension skills. Furthermore, the flipped learning approach had a positive influence not only on the cognitive domain such as general English reading abilities, but also on the affective domain of the students. Flipped learning has been vaguely understood and diversely interpreted among the practitioners in the educational fields even though it is one of the most adequate pedagogical approaches in teaching. In order to maximize learning through the flipped learning approach, classrooms equipped with multimedia, which gives students an easy access seem ideal.