Effectiveness of flipped classroom in improving oral communicative competence and motivation in English debate for EFL college students in China

This study, grounded in Sociocultural Theory, Achievement Goal Theory, and Constructivist Learning Theory, examines the impact of the flipped classroom on the oral communicative competence and motivation of Chinese EFL college students in an English debate course. It also explores students’ perceptions of this teaching strategy. Sixty-four second-year English majors from a public university in Sichuan, China, were purposefully assigned to experimental and control groups. The selection process involved three stages: first, selecting classes with 32 students each; second, forming debate groups of 4 students per group; and third, identifying 8 students from the experimental group for focus group interviews and all 32 students from the experimental group for open-ended questionnaires. The experimental group received flipped classroom instruction for 14 weeks, while the control group followed conventional blended learning. An Explanatory Sequential Mixed Methods Design was employed, using pre- and post-debate tests, motivation questionnaires, focus group interviews, and open-ended questionnaires. The quantitative results informed the purposeful selection of participants and the development of questions for the qualitative phase, aiming to deepen the understanding of the initial findings. Quantitative results revealed significant improvements in the experimental group’s Sociocultural Competence (p = .001) and Strategic Competence (p = .007), but no significant difference in Interactional Competence (p = .847). Regarding motivation, the experimental group showed significant gains in General Motivation (p = .005), Performance Goals (p = .004), and Social Goals (p = .026), but no significant difference in Mastery Goals (p = .116). Qualitative findings identified six themes—Student Engagement, Teacher Role, Collaboration and Interaction, Teaching Aids and Instructional Materials, BP Debate Exercise, and Technological Issues—that further elucidated the quantitative results. The study concludes that the flipped classroom is more effective than conventional blended learning in enhancing EFL students’ oral communicative competence and motivation. Based on these findings, a systemic flipped classroom model tailored for English debate in EFL contexts was developed, integrating “teacher-technology-student” dynamics and expert insights from semi-structured interviews. This model emphasizes student-centered learning, collaboration, and technology integration to foster engagement and critical thinking. The research has significant implications for EFL education. Teachers can adopt the proposed model to enhance student engagement and oral proficiency, while students benefit from an interactive learning environment that builds confidence and problem-solving skills. Curriculum developers and policymakers can integrate flipped learning principles and AI-driven tools to improve language education outcomes. The study also contributes to the broader discourse on technologyenhanced language instruction, offering practical insights for researchers and educators. The thesis concludes with recommendations for future research in this area.

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