The Application Of Flipped Learning To The Cultivation Of Junior High Students’ Critical Thinking Skills In English Writing

This thesis attempts to apply Flipped Learning to English writing teaching and explore the effects of Flipped Learning on the cultivation of junior high students’ critical thinking skills(CTS)in English writing.The questions include: 1)What are the overall effects of Flipped Learning on junior high students’ CTS in English writing? 2)What are the effects of Flipped Learning on different-level students’ CTS in English writing? 3)What are junior high students’ attitudes towards Flipped Learning on the cultivation of CTS in English writing?This study adopts both quantitative and qualitative analysis,taking 60 students from two classes as research participants.One class that implements Flipped Learning is the experimental class(EC),and the other class that implements normal English writing teaching is the control class(CC).Firstly,the research uses Scoring Rubrics and Rating Scale for the Assessment of CTS in Writing to score the compositions of EC and CC in the pre-test and post-test,and SPSS 27.0 is used to analyze the statistical results.By comparing the data of EC and CC,this study analyzes the overall effects of Flipped Learning on the cultivation of CTS in English writing.Secondly,this study divides students from EC into three levels according to their scores in the pre-test and further explores the effects of Flipped Learning on different-level students through the quantitative analysis of their scores and qualitative analysis of their compositions which embody the changes in CTS.Finally,by analyzing the results from questionnaires and interviews,this study investigates the students’ attitudes toward the application of Flipped Learning to improving CTS in English writing.The research results are as follows:1.In general,Flipped Learning is more effective in the cultivation of junior high students’ CTS in English writing compared to the normal class,and it mainly enhances students’ analysis,evaluation,inference,explanation and self-regulation skills,among which self-regulation skills improve the most significantly.2.Flipped Learning can significantly affect all three levels of students’ overall CTS,among which low level students made the greatest progress,whereas there are some differences among their CTS.For students at low level,Flipped Learning mainly affects their self-regulation,interpretation and analysis skills;for students at intermediate and high level,Flipped Learning mainly affects their self-regulation,evaluation and inference skills.3.More than 50% of the students hold a generally positive attitude towards Flipped Learning and appreciate the contribution of Flipped Learning to the cultivation of CTS in English writing.As for attitudes toward Flipped Learning,students hold that Flipped Learning can raise their learning interests and that adequate preparation before class and active interaction in class benefit them a lot;as for changes in critical thinking performance,students hold that Flipped Learning can contribute to their breadth and depth of thinking and also make their logic clearer.Finally,this thesis puts forward several suggestions on the cultivation of junior high students’ CTS in English writing with the help of Flipped Learning,in an attempt to provide certain references for the subsequent research.