The effect of constructive alignment on academic writing using a virtual flipped classroom: Student learning and higher thinking

Constructive alignment, as a less examined issue in the English language learning context, is a technique to align learning outcomes, teaching activities, and assessment based on the competencies that learners need to achieve. This study examined whether teaching academic paragraph writing in a virtual flipped classroom according to the constructive alignment (CA) principles caused significant results in the student's writing, learning approach and higher thinking. The course plan was presented to the constructively aligned flipped group (CAFG) in the form of a course outline organised according to CA principles. The findings revealed that the CAFG was more engaged with the course contents and significantly outperformed its counterparts in the Non-CAFG. Besides, most participants of the CAFG achieved a deep learning approach, and seventeen learners of CAFG achieved the Relational Level. Accordingly, this study offers that designing the flipped instruction based on CA principles is appropriate to improve EFL learners' skills.