Recibido: 19-06-2021 / Revisado: 28-06-202=
1 /
Aceptado: 17-07-2021 / Publicado: 05-08-2021
College
students attitudes towards the use of Flipgrid to improve speaking skills =
DOI:
Actitudes de los estudiantes universitarios hacia el uso de
Flipgrid para mejorar las habilidades del habla
Silvia
Elizabeth Cárdenas Sánchez. [1] &=
amp;
Ximena Elizabeth Naranjo Lozada.<=
span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",se=
rif;
mso-ansi-language:ES-EC'> [2=
]
Abstract
Introduction. <=
span
lang=3DEN-US style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times =
New Roman",serif;
mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>Flipgrid, as a tool to use in class, has been desi=
gned
in order to help teachers and students record videos and post them on Inter=
net.
Research has demonstrated that it works for teaching and learning English s=
ince
it promotes students´ interactions. Objective.
This research aims to analyze students´ points of view about their spea=
king
improvement using Flipgrid. Method=
ology.
There were 65 undergraduate students, with a A2 English level, who
participated in this study and they were attending online classes because of
the pandemic. Students recorded around five videos individually during the
academic period and at the end of the semester they answered a questionnair=
e and
had an interview with the instructor. The interviews were necessary in orde=
r to
know opinions and attitudes about the use of Flipgrid as an innovative form=
of
instruction of English as a Foreign Language. Results. The results demonstrated that students liked to use
Flipgrid and their confidence, motivation, vocabulary, language and
pronunciation improved. Conclusion=
. The
use of Flipgrid as an online resource can be beneficial for students in ord=
er
to promote speaking skills; however, there are some important implications =
that
language instructors need to consider during the language learning process =
if
they decide to use Flipgrid in classes.
Key words: Flipgrid, Interaction, Motivation, Speaking skills=
.
Resumen
Introducción. Flipgrid, como
herramienta para usar en clase, ha sido diseńado para ayudar a profesores y
estudiantes a grabar videos y publicarlos en Internet. La investigación ha
demostrado que funciona para la enseńanza y el aprendizaje del inglés, ya q=
ue
promueve la interacción de los estudiantes. Objetivo. Esta investigación tiene como objetivo analizar
los puntos de vista de los estudiantes sobre su mejora en el habla utilizan=
do Flipgrid. Metodología. Fueron 65 estudiantes de pregrado, con un nive=
l de
inglés A2, que participaron de este estudio y estaban asistiendo a clases en
línea debido a la pandemia. Los estudiantes grabaron alrededor de cinco vid=
eos
de forma individual durante el período académico y al final del semestre
respondieron un cuestionario y tuvieron una entrevista con el instructor. L=
as
entrevistas fueron necesarias para conocer opiniones y actitudes sobre el u=
so
de Flipgrid como una forma innovadora de instru=
cción
del inglés como lengua extranjera. Resultados. Los resultados demostraron que a los estudiant=
es
les gustaba usar Flipgrid y mejoraron su confia=
nza,
motivación, vocabulario, lenguaje y pronunciación. Conclusión. El uso de Flipgrid=
como
recurso en línea puede ser beneficioso para los estudiantes con el fin de
promover las habilidades para hablar; sin embargo, existen algunas
implicaciones importantes que los profesores de idiomas deben tener en cuen=
ta
durante el proceso de aprendizaje del idioma si deciden utilizar Flipgrid en las clases.
Palabras
clave: Flipgri=
d, Interacción, Motivación, Habilidades de expres=
ión
oral.
Introduction
Learning English involves the development of diffe=
rent
skills that are going to help learners improve knowledge and use it in a re=
al
context. Learning a language means more than grammar knowledge. Students fr=
om
different levels need to keep practicing language skills in different conte=
xts
and using different strategies. One of the skills is speaking, which helps
students to communicate their ideas and thoughts to others. According to Rao
(2019), speaking skills is a productive skill and it is important because
people need to communicate in real life situations in this modern world whe=
re
communicating skills have become a crucial element to look for a job. In ot=
her
words, developing speaking skills in language learning must be a main activ=
ity
for educators and students because it is the language production. Moreover,=
it
is necessary to state that the teachers can use teaching strategies; but
students need to develop their learning strategies according to their
preferences.
Speaking skill can be mastered using different
strategies and resources. Gani, Fajrina
and Hanifa (2015) conducted a study in order to
understand students´ learning strategies to enhance their speaking skills a=
nd
the results demonstrated that students with a high English level used more
learning strategies than those who were at a low level. High level english
students relied more on listening songs, watching movies, reading english b=
ooks
and articles, talking to friends and other activities like repeating words =
and
talking to themselves. All those learning strategies are part of the cognit=
ive
and metacognitive activities that a student can perform inside or outside t=
he
class.
Today, teachers and students can find plenty of
materials and useful applications that will support the teaching and learni=
ng
process. Bahadorfar and Om=
idvar
(2014) mention that technology is one of the best resources, which can lead
knowledge in this, globalized worlds. The authors conclude, Internet,
podcasts, video conferencing, videos and speech recognition software are
considered the best tools for teaching speaking skill. (p. 9). Consequently, teachers have to =
look
for resources available on internet and try to incorporate in their classes.
These resources that must be innovative and convenient in the 21st
century. It is also known that innovation in a class takes place when educa=
tors
apply different strategies using technological tools that are convenient for
students learning process. According to Linney
(2020), innovating in teaching is essential if an institution wants to evol=
ve.
Hence, the author mentions that culture, creativity and technological
advancement are the critical areas where administrators and teachers have to
focus on in higher education mainly. Furthermore, Lynch (2018) mentions that
innovative classes are beneficial for students because they are engaged and
improve their learning. It means that an innovative class helps students to
reflect, learn constantly, create, find solutions, collaborate and establis=
h connections
or routines.
Kasapoğlu-Akyol (2010) conducted a study with ESL students =
to
find out how they use technology in order to improve their English knowledge
and the results demonstrated that students certainly look for many
technological tools to improve skills like listening and speaking. One of t=
he
tools that students found useful was recording themselves and they mentioned
this strategy helped them improve pronunciation and speaking skills. Green =
and
Green (2018) state that Flipgrid allow students to record voice or video in
order to create discussion topics with teachers guide and engage students =
in
remote learning. There are many options in Flipgrid for free enough to use =
as a
source in different learning settings like online and face to face. However,
users can pay in order to customize their tasks and allow students to have a
better experience if they use this tool. In other words, this application i=
s a
tool, which allows users to create videos by recording themselves and shari=
ng
with others their responses. Additionally, this tool permits teachers to cr=
eate
discussions because a teacher can post a topic and students respond about i=
t by
recording their answers or they can share the link to others. This applicat=
ion
has been beneficial in remote learning since students do not need any speci=
al
accommodations in order to record the videos. (Edwards, 2021).
Flipgrid is an application that can support teache=
rs
class delivery because it has been proved that it works in different settin=
gs.
According to Budiarta and =
Santosa
(2020), digital literacy is important in this century and technology should=
be
integrated in the pedagogical practices even more when teaching or learning
English. Therefore, these researchers integrated a strategy called Think Pa=
ir Share
(TPS) finding a support with Flipgrid. This teaching model helped in their
speaking class in order to develop TPS and promote speaking skills. The res=
ults
demonstrated that using Flipgrid encouraged students to improve their speak=
ing
performance, fluency and comprehension. Furthermore, the study confirmed th=
at
students were involved and motivated in the speaking tasks, and it demonstr=
ates
that the use of Flipgrid can bring excellent results if teachers use in the=
ir
settings.
In addition, Flipgrid has widely used in online
classes as an innovative form of providing students opportunities to give
opinions and practice speaking skills. For instance, Lowenthal and Moore (2=
020)
in their study where Flipgrid was used in asynchronous video-based activiti=
es,
students reported that Flipgrid was easy to use and they enjoyed using this
application. Furthermore,
Keiper, White, Carlson and Lupinek (2021)
state that Flipgrid is favorable if it is used as a learning tool with an
hybrid flexible method in higher education since the results of the study
concluded that course delivery must be focused on interaction and this tool=
is
appropriate to promote it.
Methodology
The purpose of this study was to understand studen=
ts´
perceptions about the efficacy of Flipgrid in language production. Particip=
ants
recorded their responses based on each class topic, which required students
opinions or language practice. Each student recorded five videos during the
semester. The videos length was no more than 2 minutes and the topics were
focused on language use within authentic situations.
In addition, this research was conducted in a sett=
ing
where English is taught as a foreign language. Students from level A2
participated in the study. It is important to mention that this study was
carried out when students started to take online classes due to the pandemic
situation. The participants were undergraduate students who were enrolled in
online English classes during a 4-month academic period from May to August =
in
2020. Students were majoring in different fields, but the English curriculum
was the same since the university promotes the learning of general English.=
65
out of 72 college students participated in this study. The demographic data
collected in the study only consisted on genre and there were 37 men and 28
women.
This research is mixed method because data were
collected and analyzed from a questioner with likert scale questions,
dichotomous questions, and open-ended questions. Additionally, there were
students interviews, which took placed at the end of the study similarly. =
The
quantitative questions were applied in order to understand students´
motivation, language and vocabulary development according to students beli=
efs.
On the other hand, there was a question, which lead to understand the numbe=
r of
repetitions that students needed to get the final product and how these rep=
etitions
influenced in their language practice. The open-ended questions and intervi=
ews
helped to collect students attitudes towards the use of Flipgrid to elabor=
ate
videos using the English language.
Results
The information was collected using Google forms. =
The
survey was sent to 72 students, but 65 submitted their answers. In other wo=
rds,
the students´ response rate was 90%. The survey contained items, which aime=
d to
look for information about students´ perceptions on their improvement on
motivation, fluency, vocabulary knowledge, confidence, language and
pronunciation. Furthermore, one question was integrated in order to know the
number of repetitions each student had to do in order to get the final prod=
uct.
In terms of students´ perceptions about the usefulness of Flipgrid, an
open-ended question helped to collect students´ opinions. Finally, students´
interviews were also analyzed and the ideas were captured in quotes.
The results demonstrated that students recommend t=
he
use of Flipgrid in general to produce speaking skills while learning the
English language. However, it is important comprehend other aspects about
language development and how the tool Flipgrid was used in order to achieve
language learning objectives. To start with motivation, 78.5 % of students
concluded that using Flipgrid helped them increase their motivation to learn
the language. Secondly, students reported that their language fluency incre=
ased
a lot with a 53.8% and 41.5% considered that their fluency increased in a l=
ow
extent. Thirdly, students pronunciation has also increased to a high exten=
t in
around 56.9% and to a low extent in 41.5%. The average response about stude=
nts
confidence on a scale 1-3 was 1.5 where 58.5% reported that their confidence
increased a lot, while 38.5% concluded that it increased in little form.
Surprisingly, 64.6% students mentioned that their vocabulary increased. Then
35.4% manifested that their vocabulary increased a little bit. Lastly, 55.4%
students mentioned that their language use increased in a high extent and 4=
4.6%
of students thought that it improved in a little way (see table 1).
Ta=
ble
1
Students´ perception about the use of Flipgrid
|
|
Nothing |
A
little |
A
lot |
Total
% |
Total |
Mean |
Std.
Deviation |
||||||||||
|
Increased students´ motivation |
1.5% |
20% |
51% |
100 |
N=3D65 |
1.23 |
.46 |
||||||||||
|
Increased students´ language fluency |
4.6% |
41.5% |
53.8% |
100 |
N=3D65 |
1.51 |
.59 |
||||||||||
|
Students´ improved pronunciation |
1.5% |
41.5% |
56.9% |
100 |
N=3D65 |
1.45 |
.53 |
||||||||||
|
Table 1 Students´ perception a=
bout
the use of Flipgrid (continuación) |
|||||||||||||||||
|
|
Nothing |
A
little |
A
lot |
Total % |
Total |
Mean |
Std.
Deviation |
||||||||||
|
Increased students´ confidence |
3.1% |
38.5% |
58.5% |
100 |
N=3D65 |
1.45 |
.56 |
||||||||||
|
Increased vocabulary knowledge |
0% |
35.4% |
64.6% |
100 |
N=3D65 |
1.35 |
.48 |
||||||||||
|
Increased language use |
0% |
44.6% |
55.4% |
100 |
N=3D65 |
1.45 |
.50 |
||||||||||
Note: Students´ points of view about the use of Flipgr=
id
and its implications in their English language improvement.
In addition, this study also aimed to know students issues related with recording a video and the=
ir
opinion about doing this kind of activity with Flipgrid. According to the d=
ata,
36.9% of students repeated the video more than 5 times and probably it took=
some
time to complete the task. On the other hand, 58.4% of students answered th=
at
they had to repeat between 2 and 5 times in order to get the final product.
Only 4.6% of students mentioned they completed their task with one attempt =
and
they did not need to repeat the task (see Figure 1).
Fi=
gure
1
Number of repetitions to get the
final product
Note: Students´ number of repetitions in order to get the final video
recording.
Resource: Authors´ elaboration
Despite the fact that students needed to repeat the
recording until they got the final product, they concluded that it helped to
practice more the language. In general, 69.2% of students suggest the use of
Flipgrid as a technological tool to record videos and they recommend the us=
e of
it in class instruction.
Based on students interviews, there were some
insightful opinions from students, which helped to understand the importanc=
e of
practicing speaking with different topics, and some opinions are quoted in =
the
following list:
S1:
This tool helped me complete the task in an easy way and I could practice m=
ore
English. I liked it and I want to keep using in the future.
S2:
I suggest teachers to do activities like this and use Flipgrid to help us to
develop our English knowledge because it is necessary to learn English in o=
rder
to get scholarships.
S3:
I consider Flipgrid encouraged me to record many times until I got a good
recording and I got a good grade. I really felt motivated with this kind of
task.
On the other hand, students also mentioned their p=
oint
of view about the convenience of Flipgrid in order to complete the assignme=
nts.
Students opinions were:
S4:
I would choose Flipgrid because it is a tool easy to use and it allows us t=
o do
our task in a simple and clear form.
S5:
I did not like Flipgrid because in my opinion, it is not private and you can
post your videos and other people could see it. I do not feel comfortable w=
hen
others watch something I have recorded as a task.
S6:
I would use it in the future because I could see my teacher and partners
recordings, so it helped me with my recording because I had a clear idea of
what to do.
The data collected from interviews and open-ended
questions indicates students´ perspectives towards the use of Flipgrid as
positive because they could practice language, it was a different way to ha=
nd
in tasks, and easy to use. =
Conclusions
ˇ
Flipgrid has been increasing its =
use
in classes in order to promote interaction. Flipgrid allows students and te=
achers
to record responses to prompts and they appear on videos. Largely, this stu=
dy lead to understand that Flipgrid, as a tool, is suitab=
le to
use in an English class. Students opinions demonstrated that Flipgrid was =
easy
to use and they could hand in their task without problems in most of the ca=
ses.
Moreover, this technological tool involved students in the task and the
practice where carried out with topics from real
contexts. Students´ attitudes towards the use of Flipgrid during the class =
were
positive and some of their answers provide a guide in order to keep working
with video recordings while learning a language.
ˇ&nb=
sp;
Researchers need to take into acc=
ount
some limitations in this study since the methodology used in it was limited=
to
record a response and it did not required studen=
ts
opinions about their partners recordings. Therefore, it is necessary that =
new
studies be focused on language interaction through the use of Flipgrid by
adding students comments on others responses. Another point worth noting =
is
the fact that the sample size was limited to one higher education instituti=
on.
Hence, future studies should aim to reach more public and private universit=
ies
across the country.
References
Budiarta,
I. K., & Santosa, M. H. (2020). TPS-Flipgrid: Transforming EFL speaking class in t=
he
21st century. English Review: Journal of English Education, 9=
(1),
13-20.
Bahadorfar, M., & Omidvar, R.
(2014). Technology in teaching speaking skill. Acme International Journa=
l of
Multidisciplinary Research, 2(4), 9-13.
Edwards, L. (2021=
). What
is Flipgrid and how does it work for teachers and students? TechLearningMagazine. https://www.techlearning.com/ho=
w-to/what-is-flipgrid-and-how-does-it-work-for-teachers-and-students
Gani,
S. A., Fajrina, D., & =
Hanifa,
R. (2015). Students lear=
ning
strategies for developing speaking ability. Studies in English Language =
and
Education, 2(1), 16-28.
Green,
T., & Green, J. (2018). Flipgrid: Adding voice and video to online
discussions. TechTrends, 62(1),
128-130.
Kasapoğlu-Akyol, P. (2010). Using educational technology to=
ols
to improve language and communication skills of ESL students. Novitas-Royal, 4(2).
Keiper,
M. C., White, A., Carlson, C. D., & Lupinek=
, J.
M. (2021). Student perceptions on the benefits of Flipgrid in a HyFlex learning environment. Journal of education for
business, 96(6), 343-351.
Linney, S. (2020). How to encou= rage innovation in teaching for World-Class learning. QS. https://www= .qs.com/how-to-encourage-innovation-in-teaching-for-world-class-learning/
Lowenthal,
P. R., & Moore, R. L. (2020). Exploring Student Perceptions of Flipgrid=
in
Online Courses. Online Learning, 24(4), 28-41.
Lynch, M. (2018).=
10
characteristics of an innovative classroom. Education Week.
https://www.edweek.org/education/opinion-10-characteristics-of-an-innovativ=
e-classroom/2018/07
Rao,
P. S. (2019). The importance of speaking skills in English classrooms. A=
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6-18.
PARA
CITAR EL ARTÍCULO INDEXADO.
Cárdenas Sánchez, S. E., &
Naranjo Lozada, X. E. (2021). College
students attitudes towards the use of Flipgrid to improve speaking skills . AlfaPublicaciones<=
span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:16.0pt;line-height:115%;font-f=
amily:
"Times New Roman",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"'>, 3(3.1),
161170. https://doi.org/=
10.33262/ap.v3i3.1.85
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eda
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=
=
[1] Escuela Superior Politécnica=
de
Chimborazo, Sede Morona Santiago, Morona Santiago, Ecuador, silvia.cardenas=
@espoch.edu.ec,
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1760-8288
[2]
Universidad Técnica de Ambato, Centro de Idioma. Ambato-Tungurahua,
Ecuador. xe.naranjo@uta.edu.ec, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7077-4269
Alpha publicaciones<=
o:p>