The effects of flipped classroom model on the development of 21st century skills of adult EFL learners

Education in the 21st century is seen as much more than a one-direction transfer of knowledge from teacher to learners. There has been an inevitable shift from a traditional classroom to a more learner-centred, dynamic, and interactive one which primarly aims to prepare learners for the fast-changing 21st century life and help them keep pace with rapidly-developing technology. With an aim to equip learners with certain 21st century skills which are essential to be a world citizen in this century, educators have been searching for new models of teaching and learning. Along with all the technological developments and changes in the understanding of education, the world has also been experiencing an imperative shift towards distance education and blended learning. Accordingly, in a search for modern pedagogical methods which support a learning environment which is not limited to the borders of the classroom, educators have come up with the idea of flipping the classroom. The Flipped Classroom Model (FCM), in which the work done in the classroom and at home are reversed, can be effective in achieving the desired outcomes of the 21st century education. In the light of these, the present study aimed to investigate if there is an effect of Flipped Classroom Model on the development of adult EFL learners' certain 21st century skills which are communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity, which are also known as 4Cs of 21st century, Information and Communication Technologies literacy skills, and intercultural competence. Additionally, perceptions of adult EFL learners towards their experiences of FCM were researched. Another goal of the study was to examine the challenges that learners face during the implementation of FCM. With an aim of gaining a deeper understanding of the research inquiry, the study adopted a case study methodology. Besides, a mixed methods research design was applied to gather more comprehensive data and conduct an in-depth examination. The data was collected from 57 preparatory class students at a state university at three phases. Survey Questionnaire of the Implementation of 4Cs (Bedir, 2017), the Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) Literacy Survey (Aydemir, 2019), and Intercultural Sensitivity Scale Questionnaire (Chen & Starosta, 2000) were filled by the participants as pre- and post-forms at the beginning and the end of the research process. Moreover, field notes were taken by the researcher and minute papers were written by the participants three times during the implementation process. The researcher also kept a journal to keep a record of her experience. Finally, the Perception of Flipped Learning Experience Questionnaire (Chen Hsieh et al., 2017) and semi-structured group interviews were conducted at the end of the implementation process. The results of the study demonstrated that the Flipped Classroom Model has a significant impact on the development of the 4Cs and ICT Literacy Skills of participants and a slight influence on the intercultural competence of the participating learners. Moreover, the results revealed that participants had high satisfaction with their experience of FCM and they had positive perceptions towards it. Additionally, the challenges that participants had come across during their experience, which were mainly related to technological devices, the application that was used to watch lesson video recordings, and internet connection issues. Based on these findings, the study reveals the positive effect of FCM on the development of 21st century skills, provides pedagogical implications for implementing FCM in the most effective way. Keywords: blended learning, flipped classroom, 21st century skills