Flipped classroom has been widely promoted in higher institutions while students were found to be silent in the offline classroom. Given the insufficient understanding of students’ silence among postgraduates in the Chinese educational context, this study aims to investigate their perceptions of silence in flipped classrooms and the reasons behind it. A qualitative study was conducted with data obtained from semi-structured interviews among 14 postgraduates who specialize in diverse English domains. The interview data revealed that students’ anxiety in speaking English, the teacher-lead learning atmosphere, and the influence of Confucian culture are the primary reasons for students’ silence when interacting with teachers and other students in the offline classroom. Implications for future study and suggestions to cope with the silence were provided in order to promote the effective integration of flipped classrooms and the learning environment in China.

Yunyao Li. Understanding Chinese Postgraduates’ Silence in EFL Flipped Classroom. Frontiers in Educational Research (2023) Vol. 6, Issue 28: 24-37. https://doi.org/10.25236/FER.2023.062803.

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