Facilitating EFL learners’ willingness to communicate amidst the pandemic: a digital storytelling-based online flipped learning approach

ABSTRACT

Purpose:

This mixed-methods study proposed a digital-storytelling-based (DST-based) online flipped learning approach during the pandemic, and investigated its impact on EFL learners’ willingness to communicate (WTC) and their perceptions of the approach.

Design/methodology/approach:

A 16-week quasi-experiment was carried out in a college English course at a comprehensive university in Chinese mainland. A total of 69 EFL learners were recruited from two intact classes and assigned to either an experimental (the DST-based online flipped learning approach) or comparison (the online flipped learning approach) group, in order to explore the effects of the DST-based online flipped learning approach on learners’ WTC. The quantitative data were obtained from the learners’ WTC questionnaire. Then, semi-structured interviews were conducted in order to gauge the students’ perceptions of the different learning approaches.

Findings:

The quantitative results demonstrated that the experimental group outperformed the comparison group in terms of WTC at the end of the experiment. Thematic analysis of the qualitative data also lent support to the contribution of this DST-based online flipped learning approach in terms of boosting their English speaking confidence and encouraging more meaningful interaction and collaboration with others.

Originality/value:

Findings from this study offer insights into integrating the DST-based online flipped learning approach as an instructional implementation of technology-enhanced task-based language learning (TETBLT) in COVID/ post-COVID times. Pedagogical suggestions for EFL instructors and researchers are also provided, which would be significant for improving EFL learners’ communication skills and would enable them to become more capable and globalized citizens in the twenty-first century.

KEYWORDS:

• Digital storytelling
• willingness to communicate
• flipped learning
• English as a foreign language (EFL)
• COVID-19

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the insightful comments and valuable suggestions of the anonymous reviewers and editors. This research was supported by Beijing Education Sciences Planning Project for the 14th Five-Year plan [Grant Number CGCA23127], International Joint Research Project of Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University [grant number ICER201902], and the Teaching Reform Projects of Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications (Grant number 2022Y013 and 2023ZD08).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the International Joint Research Project of Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University [grant number ICER201902] and Graduate Student Teaching Reform Project supported by Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications [grant number 2022Y013].

Notes on contributors

Lin Luan

Lin Luan is an associate professor at the School of Humanities at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, and also a Ph.D. candidate at Beijing Normal University. Her research interests include technology-enhanced language learning, online learning engagement and new media literacy.

Yanqing Yi

Yanqing Yi is a postgraduate student at the School of Humanities at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications. Her research interests include technology-enhanced language learning and second language acquisition.

Gwo-Jen Hwang

Gwo-Jen Hwang is a chair professor at the Graduate Institute of Educational Information and Measurement, National Taichung University of Education and a chair professor at the Graduate Institute of Digital Learning and Education, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taiwan. He is also the Emeritus Chair Professor of Yuan Ze University, Taiwan. His research interests include mobile learning, digital game-based learning, flipped classrooms, and artificial intelligence in education.

Yan Dong

Yan Dong is a professor at the Faculty of Education at Beijing Normal University. Her research interests include educational technology, teacher professional development, project-based learning, twenty-first-century skills and STEM education.

Bowen Jing

Bowen Jing is a postgraduate student at the School of Humanities at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications. Her research interests include technology-enhanced language learning and online learning engagement.

Jinjin Liu

Jinjin Liu is a postgraduate student at the School of Humanities at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications. Her research interests include computer-assisted language learning and computer-aided translation.