Effects of a concept mapping-based flipped learning approach on EFL students' English speaking performance, critical thinking awareness and speaking anxiety

The present study explored the impact of concept mapping-based flipped learning as a listening-speaking strategy on learning achievement, English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' critical thinking awareness and EFL speaking anxiety. The study utilized a pretest/posttest control and a quasi-experimental design. Seventy-two EFL learners were assigned to experimental (n = 37) and control (n = 35) groups. The results of the pretest indicated that the participants of the two groups were homogeneous concerning their proficiency level, critical thinking awareness and EFL speaking anxiety. The experimental group was instructed to construct concept maps after each listening task, and formulated their answers to the required speaking tasks from their concept maps. The results of the posttest indicated that concept mapping has a positive and significant influence on EFL learners' English speaking performance and critical thinking awareness, and can decrease their speaking anxiety. Moreover, the relationships between concept mapping, learning performance, and critical thinking are statistically correlated. The results also revealed a significant negative relationship between speaking anxiety and the other variables. Practitioner Notes What is already known about this topic Students learn at their own pace and learn with repeated exposure to the same material to strengthen and deepen their understanding until they acquire the knowledge in flipped learning. The strategy of concept mapping is not only to support learners to organize concepts, but also to develop their ideas. Concept mapping can foster learners' confidence and build up their background knowledge, so it will facilitate their speaking ability. What this paper adds A concept mapping-based flipped learning as a listening-speaking strategy is proposed to help improve students' listening and speaking skills, EFL learners' critical thinking awareness, and decrease speaking anxiety. In addition to supporting students' foreign language learning, the results showed that the proposed approach provides positive results on the concept mapping-based flipped learning for speaking training course. Implications for practice and/or policy The concept maps served as an approach to help students draw complex conceptual relationships and as an outcome measurement. The learners' language performance and critical thinking are positively correlated. The learners' concept mapping scores revealed not only in their performances, but also in speaking, conceptualization, and formulation.