Student perceptions of the benefits and challenges of flipped learning experience in Academic English Skills through integrated online preparation and live lessons

Flipped learning (FL) is known as a methodology that fosters active learning and increases the quality of time that learners and teachers spend together in lessons. The aim of this study is to investigate how students perceive the experience of FL in the context of Holland ISC's Academic English Skills (AES) course, how the FL approach is put into practice, and what the perceived challenges and benefits are. An Exploratory Action Research approach is adopted, including quantitative and qualitative data collected through surveys and focus groups. The results support previous studies' findings that students appreciate FL practices as they regard them as time-saving, flexible, fostering independence and having the potential to relieve student anxiety towards learning. Students perceive the difficulties as time management but also note challenges in accommodating different levels of preparedness. The study concludes by stressing the need for careful planning in order to reap the most benefits from this methodology.