Using a SPOC-based flipped classroom instructional mode to teach English pronunciation

As a concept established on MOOC, SPOC has been used by many instructors in universities. Although SPOC-based flipped classroom instructional modes have been applied in many disciplines including English learning in China, no empirical study has tried to disentangle the application of the modes in teaching English pronunciation. This study reports the application of an instructional mode combining SPOC and flipped instruction in teaching English pronunciation for college students majoring in English Education. The effectiveness of this mode was assessed in terms of students' mastery of knowledge in English pronunciation, accuracy of students' pronunciation and students' satisfaction to the class. The freshmen enrolled in a university in 2018 were labeled as the controlled group and those enrolled in 2019 and 2020 comprised the experimental groups. Results showed that the experimental groups significantly outperformed the controlled group in the mastery of knowledge and the accuracy of pronunciation. In addition, the improvement in students' pronunciation was not as much as that in their degree of mastering the knowledge. All students in experimental groups indicated a high degree of satisfaction to the teaching mode. These results prove that SPOC-based flipped classroom instructional mode not only can attain positive perceptions from students but also can be helpful for improving students' learning of knowledge in pronunciation and correctness of pronunciation. However, more input and practice opportunities are still needed to make a better enhancement in students' English pronunciation, which can be expected to be achieved by virtual simulation systems for English pronunciation training.