Implementing flipped learning during Covid-19 in Omani higher education: EFL teachers' perspectives

Ishaq Al-Naabi
University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Oman
Amal Al-Badi
Military Technological College, Oman
Jo-Anne Kelder
University of Tasmania, Australia

The rapid adoption of emergency remote teaching (ERT) in response to the Covid-19 pandemic was characterised by many challenges. This study investigates how English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers in Oman implemented flipped learning approaches to deliver ERT curricula. The study analyses EFL teachers' experiences and identifies significant themes in relation to the data and the literature in order to inform future implementations of flipped learning approaches. A qualitative explanatory case study method was used, with thematic analysis of nine participants in two focus groups from two higher education institutions. Four themes were identified: advantages, strategies, challenges, and suggestions for better practice. Each theme is described in detail and the paper concludes with recommendations for future implementation and a discussion on implications for policy and practice of curriculum design for ERT.
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Authors: Ishaq Al-Naabi is a language lecturer in the University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Oman. He has an MEd. in Curriculum and Teaching Methods of English. His academic interest areas are online curriculum development and evaluation, e-learning, online pedagogy, distance learning, teaching methods, professional development and research in higher education. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8829-2922 Email: aladeeb001@gmail.com Amal Al-Badi works as instructional developer for virtual reality activities in the Virtual Learning Environment department at Military Technological College, Muscat. She received her MEd in TESOL from the University of Southern Queensland, Australia and an MEd in Educational Technology from Sultan Qaboos University, Oman. She is interested in instructional technology and educational research. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4422-9857 Email: amal11bh@gmail.com Jo-Anne Kelder is Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of Tasmania and Principal, Jo-Anne Kelder Consulting. She advises on quality assurance of curriculum and student experience; also developing staff capability in curriculum evaluation and scholarship. She is an editor for Advancing Scholarship and Research in Higher Education and Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8618-0537 Email: Jo.Kelder@utas.edu.au Please cite as: Al-Naabi, I., Al-Badi, A. & Kelder, J.-A. (2022). Implementing flipped learning during Covid-19 in Omani higher education: EFL teachers' perspectives. Issues in Educational Research, 32(2), 413-433. http://www.iier.org.au/iier32/al-naabi.pdf