Flipped classroom practices as contextual scaffolds for online self-regulated learning and academic achievement in secondary EFL education

This study explores how the flipped classroom model, implemented in secondary English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context, may support students’ academic achievement and online self-regulated learning skills. An embedded mixed-methods action research design was employed, integrating quantitative and qualitative data across an eight-week classroom implementation. The participants consisted of 15 eleventh-grade students from a single intact class. Data were collected through a grammar achievement test, an online self-regulation scale, individual student interviews, and student and teacher diaries. Quantitative findings indicated within-group increases in both grammar performance and self-reported online self-regulation following the implementation. Qualitative findings suggested that students engaged more actively in pre-class preparation, organized their learning environments more deliberately, monitored their understanding during video-based learning, and participated more confidently in in-class activities. Students also described increased responsibility for learning and more purposeful engagement with digital tools, while teacher reflections highlighted greater classroom readiness and peer collaboration. Despite the growing interest in flipped classroom practices, limited research has examined how flipped learning may simultaneously relate to academic outcomes and online self-regulatory processes at the secondary school level through embedded mixed-methods and action research designs. Given the small sample size, short duration, and absence of a control group, the findings should be interpreted as context-specific and exploratory. Overall, this study offers practice-oriented insight into the pedagogical potential of flipped learning as a scaffold for grammar-focused instruction and regulatory engagement in secondary EFL settings.