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

ABSTRACT

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.

KEYWORDS:

• Constructive alignment
• higher thinking
• learning approach
• English paragraph writing
• virtual flipped classroom

Acknowledgments

We wish to thank Professor John Biggs for his helpful comments on an earlier version of the course outline designed for this study. We also thank the university students for their assistance with data collection.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Fatemeh Shamsi Lameshkani

Fatemeh Shamsi Lameshkani is a Ph.D candidate of TEFL at Payame Noor University, Iran. Her special interest is CALL.

Hassan Soleimani

Hassan Soleimani is an associate professor of applied linguistics at Payame Noor University, Iran. His special interests are SLA issues in general and CALL in particular.

Hooshang Khoshsima

Hooshang Khoshsima is an associate professor of TEFL. He currently works at the English language department, Chabahar Maritime University. His special interests are Teaching Methodology, Testing, Psycholinguistics, Sociolinguistics and ESP.

Manoochehr Jafarigohar

Manoochehr Jafarigohar is a professor of TEFL at Payame Noor University, Iran. His special interests are SLA issues and CALL.