The Effects of Flipped Vocabulary Learning on Chinese College Students' Listening Achievement

Abstract

This study looked at the correlation between improved listening skills and flipped vocabulary learning on low-level EFL learners in a Chinese context. Thirty-one college students participated in a listening practice course for 20 weeks. The first three weeks focused on training on flipped learning and course preparation. The actual implementation of the real listening practice took place between weeks four and nineteen. During the listening practice course, 26 listening practice sections were covered. An alternating treatment design was used with two flipped vocabulary learning methods, learning words by teacher-made videos or by an online dictionary before the listening practice. For every listening practice section, students learned 20 target words before class. A vocabulary activity helped to enhance the effects of flipped learning in class before the start of listening practice. Data sources included pre-tests, repeated tests, and post-tests. The findings are as follows: 1) flipped learning of vocabulary had positive effects on listening improvement, and there was an overall increase in listening test scores. 2) With the two vocabulary learning methods, vocabulary learning with videos was more effective on students' listening practice than the method using an online dictionary.