The Synchronous Online Flipped Learning Approach: The Teacher and Students' Perceptions in Two Mixed-ability Classes

This phenomenological qualitative study reports the advantages and drawbacks of implementing the Synchronous Online Flipped Learning Approach (SOFLA) in two mixed ability English classes at the Technical University of Cotopaxi-Ecuador, during the COVID-19 pandemic. It attempted to identify the opinions of eleven students, who were pre-service teachers of two classes (Fifth, Groups A and B) and one English teacher about their experiences in eight online flipped productive lessons. The teacher was interviewed, and focus groups were conducted with strong, average, and weak students in three separate groups; thematic analysis was used to categorize the data. The findings suggested that the main advantages of SOFLA were a) creating a positive learning environment, b) improving English language learning, c) fostering collaborative learning, d) promoting learning from mistakes, and e) facilitating peer feedback. In addition, the teacher gave positive opinions about the SOFLA Framework and the SHAC (share, help, ask, and comment) peer feedback model because they were useful when giving online flipped lessons and made peer feedback more meaningful. Nevertheless, there were some drawbacks such as a) lack of compatibility in groups, b) peer teacher anxiety, c) time management, and d) limited internet connections. Most of these drawbacks were related to the variety of English levels, students’ first experience with peer feedback and peer teaching, and access to technology. The teacher described difficulties with the peer teaching and peer feedback strategies as well as with time and technology. This suggests that SOFLA can be useful in teaching English online in foreign language classrooms; however, it is necessary for teachers to identify strategies to minimize the drawbacks.