Using a Flipped Classroom Strategy to Overcome the Limitations of Large Group Classes

: An Example of Online Class Practice for a Comprehensive Elementary Japanese Course

Abstract

This case study presents an example of how teachers might implement practices that provide students with opportunities for self-expression and a fuller sense of learning in Japanese language classes in Thailand, where class sizes tend to be large and sentence-based syllabi are widely used. The authors developed a three-shift flipped classroom curriculum for an online, comprehensive elementary Japanese course, and surveyed students through a questionnaire. Students report that the flipped classroom format made the lecture content more accessible, and the smaller class sizes and three-shift system provided students with greater opportunities for self-expression and interpersonal communication in Japanese, which enhanced student satisfaction and self-reported learning outcomes.

The authors conclude that the shift system achieved through a flipped classroom strategy has wide application for overcoming the problems associated with large class sizes in Japanese language classes in Thailand, beyond the present use in online courses.