Digital tools for mixed-ability English language learning in flipped classrooms

Abstract

The recognition that traditional teacher-centered instruction does not adequately respond to the increasing diversity of learners has led to a renewed interest in pedagogical models that promote differentiation and active learning in EFL classrooms. In the flipped classroom model, aided by digital technologies, instruction is reconfigured by shifting content delivery into pre-class digital spaces, while using classroom time for interaction, collaboration, and application, making it especially relevant for mixed-ability contexts. The objective of this research is to explore the role of digital technologies in supporting inclusive instruction, learner engagement and differentiated learning in mixed-ability EFL classrooms under a flipped classroom paradigm. The results show that digital pre-class materials create learner readiness before class, and that interactive, in-class activities engender participation, communicative competence, and learner autonomy among students of all proficiency levels. This work argues for the focus of future studies on the pedagogical mechanisms and instructional structure inherent in flipped learning, rather than comparing effectiveness of two approaches with unrelated structures and mechanisms, which could help in seeing digital tools as enabling differentiated structures.