flipped classroom research paper

8/12/2019 Flipped Classroom Research Paper

1/23

!"##$#% '()*+ ,-./01 23 34,. 15/0',67 8

The Impact of Flip Teaching on Students Perceptions of Learning

and Academic Achievement in a Science 10 Class

Kate Ropchan

ETEC 500, Section 65E

April 2013

University of British Columbia


2/23

,-./01 23 34,. 15/0',67 9

Introduction

The traditional lecture/homework model of teaching involves a lecture given by teachers

that takes up the majority of the class, followed by limited time for practice by students.

Consequently, students need to do their assignments practicing course concepts at home. This

becomes problematic if students get home and realize that they dont understand what they need

to do. Thus, perhaps the best time to do what has traditionally been considered homework

activities is during class time, when students are able to get help from a teacher and their peers.

This led to the question of how to move lecture delivery of course content outside of class time

to allow the primary focus within the classroom to be creating a deeper understanding of course

concepts.

Emerging technological advances have led to the development of the flipped classroom, a

reverse teaching strategy in which teachers record lectures on video and post them online, rather

than lecturing during class time. Alternatively, pre-recorded videos created by another educator,

such as those provided by the Khan Academy can be posted for students to watch. Students view

the videos at home prior to coming to class and then spend class time enriching their

understanding through active learning exercises, collaborative activities, labs, discussions, and

other practical applications.

The flipped classroom approach, also known as flip teaching, the inverted classroom

or reverse instruction, has a number of proposed benefits. These include increased time for

teacher-student interaction, allowing students to work at their own pace, giving students the

ability to easily catch up if they miss classes, increasing collaborative learning during class time,

and increasing parental involvement as parents can also watch the instructional videos.


3/23

,-./01 23 34,. 15/0',67 :

Potential drawbacks of this teaching strategy arise when students dont watch the

instructional videos during their own time, either because they dont do their homework or dont

have access to technology. Additionally, teaching by lecture, whether in person or on video, is

still a traditional, didactic philosophy. Is this truly the best method for students to learn?

I am very interested in the flipped classroom, as a few of my co-workers are currently

experimenting with this teaching strategy. In my school, it has had varying levels of

effectiveness in different classes, depending on how it has been implemented. I define

effectiveness as showing higher academic achievement of classes using this model versus the

traditional lecture/homework teaching model and having positive perceptions of this model

expressed by students. Technological advances, and changes in prevailing attitudes about who is

responsible for student learning have led me to investigate this new pedagogical strategy in my

own Science 10 classroom.

Problem Statement

Interest in how to balance the delivery of course content with the richness of in-class

learning activities led to the primary focus question: To what extent does the flipped classroom

teaching model impact the learning environment in a Science 10 classroom?The following sub

questions were developed: (1) What are student perceptions of the flipped classroom model as

compared to the traditional lecture/homework model? and (2) What is the impact of the flipped

classroom approach on academic achievement?

Critical Review of the Literature

Academic research into the effectiveness of flipped high school classes is relatively

limited at present, with the majority of commentary coming in the form of informal sources

online such as blogs. Although the topic of flip teaching is a relatively new phenomenon, studies


4/23

,-./01 23 34,. 15/0',67 ;

that have implemented the use of this approach at the university level can provide background

for future research. I will review these studies according to the following questions: (1) What are

students perceptions of the flipped classroom approach to learning? and (2) What is the impact

of the flipped classroom approach on academic achievement? These two questions will also

guide my further research.

Student perceptions of the flipped classroom approach

Lage, Platt, and Treglia introduced the concept of the inverted classroom in 2000 at

Miami University with their introductory Microeconomics courses. In their study, students

accessed lecture material through PowerPoint presentations with recorded audio, or recorded

video lectures before coming to class. Class time was then dedicated to answering students

questions, conducting economics experiments, and completing worksheets and review questions

which could be answered individually or in groups. Lage et al. (2000) claim that this teaching

model is suited to all learning styles because it blends a variety of different teaching and learning

approaches. In this study, inverted teaching was used by 2 instructors in 5 classes consisting of

about 40 students each, after which survey data was collected to gauge student perceptions of the

inverted model. Results suggest that students preferred the flipped classroom to the traditional

lecture, enjoying the collaborative environment and the one-to-one support afforded by the

inverted model (Lage et al., 2000).

Foertsch, Moses, Strikwerda, and Litzkow (2002) investigated whether students gave

high ratings to an undergraduate computer studies class that was taught using the flipped model.

In Fall 2000, 539 students who were enrolled in Computer Studies 310 at University of

Wisconsin-Madisons College of Engineering had their in-class lectures replaced with

videotaped lectures and other instructional materials that students viewed online in their own


5/23

,-./01 23 34,. 15/0',67

Sadaghiani (2011) conducted research with calculus-based physics classes at California

State Polytechnic University in Pomona, California. Research involved an experimental study in

which the 34 students in the experimental section were asked to view web-based multimedia

learning modules (MLMs) prior to attending class while the 48 students in the non MLM-

viewing class served as a control. Both classes met twice a week but the control class met for 25

minutes extra each class. All other aspects of the course including in-class examples, homework

assignments, exams, and the instructor were the same for both sections. At the end of the quarter,

students in both sections filled out a survey about the usefulness of different course components

and students in the experimental group answered additional survey questions about their

experience with the MLMs. Results indicated that students in the MLM class seemed to be more

engaged with questions and group discussion than the control group, perhaps due to their prior

preparation via the MLMs. About 60% of the students in the MLM section strongly preferred the

MLM delivery of content compared to 25% who strongly preferred pure face-to-face lectures.

Open-ended survey feedback indicated that several students preferred the conciseness of the

MLMs over the textbook content, and many students appreciated the fact that they could view

the MLMs anywhere, anytime, and as many times as they wanted (Sadaghiani, 2011, p. 5).

Frederickson, Reed, and Clifford (2005) investigated the effects of web-supported

learning versus lecture-based teaching with 16 students enrolled in a graduate professional

training course in educational psychology at University College London. Eight students were

randomly assigned to an experimental group that received lectures online, and the other eight

students made up the control group, which received lectures in class. Both groups were given a

pre-test prior to content delivery, and a post-test after six one-hour lecture sessions spread out

over three weeks. The groups were then switched, and the process was repeated with new course


8/23

,-./01 23 34,. 15/0',67 ?

material. Thus a second pre-test was administered to both groups, the group that had received

web-based teaching in the first half of the course now received lecture teaching, and the group

that had received lecture teaching now received the web-course. Following the three weeks of

teaching that made up the second half of the course, all participants received a post-test. All pre-

and post-tests administered checked for understanding of course concepts, and levels of anxiety

with statistics. Post-tests also asked for feedback on satisfaction with the learning experience.

Results indicated no significant differences in anxiety levels, confidence with statistics, or

satisfaction with the course taught via the web versus taught with the lecture-approach. Similar

to results obtained by Ronchetti (2010), written qualitative feedback indicated a preference for

the traditional lecture over the flipped approach, but students strongly appreciated the

helpfulness of peer collaboration that occurred in the web-taught version of the course

(Frederickson et al., 2005). The impact of the flipped teaching model on academic performance

will be discussed in the next section.

Impact of the flipped classroom approach on academic achievement

One of the biggest concerns for educators considering a new teaching format is whether

the new teaching model will have a positive effect on academic achievement. The following

research studies examine the effect that an inverted style of teaching had on measurements of

students understanding.

In the research study of 16 graduate students previously described by Frederickson et al.

(2005), participant knowledge of course material was assessed by two paper-based multiple-

choice tests, each containing 30 questions that covered the material in the first and second halves

of the course. After statistical analysis, researchers determined that there was little difference in

the scores either before or after teaching with the flipped group versus the traditional lecture


9/23

,-./01 23 34,. 15/0',67 @

group. Thus in this study, learning under the flipped model did not have any effect on academic

achievement (Frederickson et al., 2005). However, the small sample size and short duration of

the study represent important limitations. Problems may also be identified with the knowledge

test, which was used as both a pre- and post-test with the same questions. Increases in scores

over time may have been due to practice effects or familiarity with the questions.

Do internet-delivered video lectures prepare students for exams as effectively as live in-

class lectures? Lents and Cifuentes (2009) sought an answer for this question in their study of a

majors-level introductory biology course in the spring of 2008. Twenty-four City University of

New York students were enrolled in one section of Biology 104 that became the experimental

group, receiving web-based delivery of course content. Fifty-nine students enrolled in two other

sections of the course that were taught together comprise the control group, which received in-

class lecture delivery by the same instructor as the web-based teacher. The groups were

determined to be equivalent to each other based on students performance in the pre-requisite

Biology course the previous semester, and academic performance in the separate lab component

of Biology 104 (Lents & Cifuentes, 2009). Five exams were administered to students in both the

control and treatment groups throughout the semester. No significant differences were found on

exam marks based on whether students attended in-class lectures or viewed them online. Thus

video lectures seem to be just as effective for learning course material as in-class lectures. An

anonymous survey of learning gains also indicated that the majority of students strongly agree

that the use of video lectures improved their learning in the course, and that video lectures

prepared them much better for exams than traditional in-class lectures. It is important to note that

halfway through this study, students in the experimental group were given the choice of also

attending live lectures. This muddles the results because after this point it was no longer an


10/23

,-./01 23 34,. 15/0',67 8A

experimental study with two distinct groups. Many students in the experimental group also chose

to attend classroom lectures so learning gains in the experimental group may have been due to

the multiple exposures to course content, rather than the method of delivery.

Published articles about the flipped teaching approach are primarily at the university level,

rather than examining the impact on high school classes. Alvarez (2011) did report the effects of

a flip teaching model on the failure rates of Clintondale high school students in a suburb of

Detroit. Teachers at this school recorded the percentage of students that failed their class one

year (under the traditional lecture/homework model) followed by the percentage of students that

failed their class the following year (using the inverted instructional strategy). In English

Language Arts, the percentage of students failing fell from 52% to 19%; in math, failure rates

dropped from 44% to 13%; in science, failures declined from 41% to 19%, and in social studies,

fewer than 10% of students failed, compared to nearly a third the previous year (Alvarez, 2011).

These results provide evidence supporting the effectiveness of the flip teaching approach on

academic achievement. However, not enough details are given to determine if classroom

conditions were controlled from one year to the next, and if students were comparable both years.

Several themes emerge from the literature on flipped classrooms. Under certain

conditions, changing to a flipped model of teaching may lead to a decline in failure rates of

students (Alvarez, 2011), perhaps because this approach affords students the ability to easily get

caught up if they miss class, learners can pause and rewind lecture videos and re-watch them to

increase their understanding, and in-class time is spent on productive, collaborative exercises

intended to enrich understanding. Other studies did not indicate a change in academic

achievement due to inverted instruction (Frederickson et al., 2005; Lents & Cifuentes, 2009).


11/23

,-./01 23 34,. 15/0',67 88

These were at the university level, however, so further research is necessary to determine if this

would apply to secondary students in a flipped classroom.

An important consideration when deciding to adopt the flipped teaching approach is

whether students will prefer this method versus traditional instruction. Overall, feedback on the

flipped classroom approach has been quite positive, indicating that many students prefer this

teaching model versus traditional instruction (Foertsch et al., 2002; Lage et al., 2000; Lents &

Cifuentes, 2009; Sadaghiani, 2011). Studies where students preferred traditional lectures

indicated that learners still highly valued the collaborative learning activities afforded by the

inverted instructional approach (Frederickson et al., 2005; Ronchetti, 2010; Strayer, 2012). This

seems to indicate that students see the benefits of the extra time spent in class practicing course

concepts, but there may be a need for better instructional videos. Perhaps as technology

continues to evolve, it will be possible to make pre-recorded videos that are interactive, allowing

students to ask questions as they watch or complete a short multiple choice quiz to check their

understanding and correct any misconceptions.

The flip teaching approach is still relatively new, but the proliferation of blogs about it

online indicate that several teachers are trying it out at the high school level. Gaps in the research

indicate the need for an experimental study within the secondary classroom. The goal of my

research is to contribute a view of a controlled study of a flipped secondary science class.

Research Method

Due to the nature of the questions guiding this research, it is necessary to investigate the

learning environments of classroom flip and traditional lecture-homework structured classes

using both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Academic achievement will be

measured by comparing the results of pre-tests and post-tests of two Science 10 units of study


12/23

,-./01 23 34,. 15/0',67 89

within flipped and traditional classes, and student surveys and interviews will be used at the end

of the second unit to determine whether students preferred a flipped classroom or traditional

learning approach. My hypothesis is that Science 10 students in a flipped classroom will show

higher academic achievement and greater satisfaction with this instructional approach than

Science 10 students in a traditional lecture/homework classroom.

The two units of study within this Science 10 research will be Chemistry and Physics. In

British Columbia, Science 10 is composed of four main topics: Chemistry, Physics, Biology, and

Earth Science. From my six years experience teaching Science 10, I have found that Chemistry

and Physics are the topics that require the greatest amount of direct instruction. Other, more

constructivist approaches have been successful in my classes for the Biology and Earth Science

components of Science 10.

Four classes will take part in this study; two will receive direct instruction on Chemistry

concepts and complete practice questions for homework, while two will receive their instruction

through pre-recorded videos that students watch in their own time, allowing class-time to be

spent on collaborative learning activities to clarify Chemistry concepts. Once the Chemistry unit

is concluded, classes will switch instructional methods for the Physics unit. Classes previously

receiving direct instruction will now learn under a flipped approach, while the previously

inverted sections will take on the traditional lecture/homework method of instruction.

Participants

As a Science, Math, and Psychology teacher at a school where I have worked for the past

eight years, I will conduct this study on four blocks of students during the 2013-2014 school year.

The learners that I will study are Science 10 students at a secondary school in Langley, British

Columbia that is on a linear schedule. The research will take place from September to February


13/23

,-./01 23 34,. 15/0',67 8:

during the 2013-2014 school year. Random selection from the school population of

approximately 350 grade 10 students will place 30 students in each of my four Science 10 classes.

Science 10 students were chosen as participants because this class is a provincially

examinable course in British Columbia, and the curriculum is packed with so many learning

outcomes that it can be difficult to teach all of the required material while still allowing time for

labs, projects, and completion of assignments during class time. When I heard about the flipped

classroom teaching approach, Science 10 immediately came to my mind as a course that could

potentially benefit from this new instructional method.

Participants will be informed at the beginning of the school year that they are the subject

of a research study, and will be given the chance to switch classes if they do not wish to

participate. A letter will also be sent home to parents informing them about the teaching

approaches that will be used, and asking parents to consent to their childs participation. All

participants will be assured of confidentiality and protection from harm to ensure that ethical

guidelines are followed.

Instruments

Academic achievement in Science 10 will be assessed by means of multiple-choice

paper-and-pencil tests. These tests will each contain 40 questions that cover the material in the

two units of study. Similar versions, with different questions but the same concepts will be used

as pre and posttests. Thus four tests will be required a pretest about Science 10 Chemistry, a

posttest on Science 10 Chemistry, a pretest about Science 10 Physics, and a posttest on Science

10 Physics.

Course member perceptions of aspects of their learning experience will be obtained in

three ways. First, at the end of the second unit of study (Physics), five items will be presented in


14/23

,-./01 23 34,. 15/0',67 8;

a rating scale questionnaire format to assess aspects of satisfaction within the course. The five-

point scale will range from 1 (not at all) to 5 (very much). Participants will be asked to

consider their experience of Science 10 since September and rate the following for each of the

flipped instructional unit and the traditional homework/lecture unit: enjoyment, interest,

motivation, sense of achievement, and effectiveness of learning. Scores on each item will be

summed and averaged to produce a summary score for satisfaction within each instructional

approach ranging between 1 and 5. Secondly, open-ended feedback will be invited in response to

questions about which instructional method the student preferred. Third, select students will be

interviewed to provide further data about student perspectives of the learning environment.

Procedure

At the beginning of the school year, 120 grade 10 Science students will be selected from

a population of approximately 350 tenth grade students at the school. Selected students will be

divided into four blocks of 30 students each, as I will be teaching four blocks of Science 10. All

groups will cover the same subject matter and use the same textbook. The groups will have the

same length, frequency, and amount of classes, which will be held in the same room at different

times, and I will be the instructor for all four sections.

Two classes will be randomly selected to learn the Chemistry Unit using the traditional

lecture/homework method of instruction while the other two classes will receive flip teaching.

Prior to any instruction, a Chemistry pretest will be delivered to all four blocks to assess prior

knowledge. At the end of the Chemistry unit, a posttest will be administered to all four blocks to

assess a measure of academic achievement and knowledge of course concepts in the Chemistry

10 unit. The next unit of study will be Physics, and students will be pretested prior to any

instruction to determine their prior knowledge of Physics 10 concepts. Experimental and control


15/23

,-./01 23 34,. 15/0',67 8

instruction. Flipped classroom scores can then be averaged for both the Chemistry and Physics

units, as can traditional lecture/homework scores.

This study is limited in design because I am both the teacher and the researcher. I attempt

to address this limitation by using anonymous surveys and test data, rather than teacher

observations. It may become an issue during student interviews, however, if students are

reluctant to be forthcoming with criticisms of the course since I control the grade they receive.

Thus it may be more effective to have a colleague conduct the student interviews, rather than

conducting them myself. Additionally, I will promise students that I will not listen to the

interview tapes until after I have submitted their grades for the semester.

Schedule of Activities

A timeline is provided in the appendix, breaking down the schedule for each component

of the research.

Discussion

The hypothesis of this study is that Science 10 students in a flipped classroom will show

higher academic achievement and greater satisfaction with this instructional approach than

Science 10 students in a traditional lecture/homework classroom. Previous literature on this topic

has shown various success rates of a flipped classroom approach on academic performance

(Alvarez, 2011; Frederickson et al., 2005; Lents & Cifuentes, 2009). However, many students

prefer this teaching model versus traditional instruction (Foertsch et al., 2002; Lage et al., 2000;

Lents & Cifuentes, 2009; Sadaghiani, 2011) and students recognize the value of the collaborative

learning activities afforded by the inverted instructional approach (Frederickson et al., 2005;

Ronchetti, 2010; Strayer, 2012).


18/23

,-./01 23 34,. 15/0',67 8?

The findings of this study will carry great significance because there is a lack of research

on the flipped classroom at the high school level. Experimental studies exist at the university

level, but secondary teachers do not currently have scientific data about the effectiveness of this

new teaching style. Adding to the research on this topic will help me to determine whether I wish

to continue using this teaching approach in the future, and it may impact the decision of other

high school teachers thinking about trying a flipped classroom approach.


19/23

,-./01 23 34,. 15/0',67 8@

References

Alvarez, B. (2011) Flipping the classroom: Homework in class, lessons at home. Education

Digest: Essential Readings Condensed for Quick Review, 77(8), 18-21. Retrieved from

http://neapriorityschools.org/successful-students/flipping-the-classroom-homework-in-

class-lessons-at-home-2

Foertsch, J., Moses, G., Strikwerda, J., & Litzkow, M. (2002). Reversing the lecture/homework

paradigm using eTEACH web-based streaming video software.Journal of Engineering

Education, 91(3), 267-274.

Frederickson, N., Reed, P., & Clifford, V. (2005). Evaluating web-supported learning versus

lecture-based teaching: Quantitative and qualitative perspectives.Higher Education,

50(4), 645-664.

Lage, M. J., Platt, G. J., & Treglia, M. (2000). Inverting the classroom: A gateway to creating an

inclusive learning environment.Journal of Economic Education, 31(1), 30-43.

Lents, N., & Cifuentes, O. (2009). Web-based learning enhancements: Video lectures through

voice-over PowerPoint in a Majors-level Biology course.Journal of College Science

Teaching, 39(2), 38-46.

Ronchetti, M. (2010), Using video lectures to make teaching more interactive. International

Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning,5(2), 45-48. doi:10.3991/ijet.v5i2.1156

Sadaghiani, H. R. (2011). Using multimedia learning modules in a hybrid-online course in

electricity and magnetism.Physical Review Special Topics - Physics Education Research,

7(1) 010102-1-010102-7.

Strayer, J. F. (2012). How learning in an inverted classroom influences cooperation, innovation

and task orientation.Learning Environments Research, 15(2), 171-193.


20/23

,-./01 23 34,. 15/0',67 9A

doi:10.1007/s10984-012-9108-4


21/23

,-./01 23 34,. 15/0',67 98

Appendix

Timeline for the Research:

June, 2013 Students learn about their courses for the following year in July, so I will need to

work with my schools counselling department in June to randomly select 120

students, divided into 4 blocks, for participation in this study. I will then

randomly assign two groups to initially comprise the experimental group and

two groups that will initially be part of the control group.

July

August, 2013

My time off work during July and August will be spent pre-recording Chemistry

and Physics lectures to use in my flipped classroom blocks.

September,

2013

At the beginning of the school year in September, I will inform students and

their parents about my research, and seek consent for participation. Then I willadminister a Chemistry pretest to all four of my Science 10 classes, and make

careful note of the results.

September

November,

2013

September to November will be spent teaching students Chemistry concepts by

one of the two instructional methods, either flip teaching or the traditional

lecture/homework approach.

End of

November,

2013

A Chemistry posttest will be administered to all four of my Science 10 classes

and then I will compare the results of the pretests and posttests. If the

experimental and control groups are essentially the same in terms of their

Chemistry scores on the pretests, then posttest scores can be directly compared

using a t test and if they are not, then I will use analysis of covariance to adjust

posttest scores for initial differences on pretest scores.

Next, I will give all my Science 10 students a pretest for the Physics unit.

Control and experimental groups will switch roles so that students receiving

inverted instruction will now learn under a traditional lecture/homework

approach, and vice versa.

November,

2013

February,

I will teach Physics 10 concepts to the new experimental group using a flipped

approach, and to the new control classes using a traditional lecture/homework

model.


22/23

,-./01 23 34,. 15/0',67 99

2014

End of

February,

2014

A Physics posttest will be administered to my four blocks of Science 10. Once

again, I will compare the results of the pretests and posttests, but for Physics this

time, to determine if a t test or analysis of covariance is required. I will then

use the appropriate statistical analysis to analyze my results.

I will hand out questionnaires to all of my Science 10 students, and then analyze

the data. I will sum the questions scores, and average them to provide a

numerical score for the satisfaction level of the course while taught under each

instructional method. I will also analyze written responses to look for themes

that emerge in the data. Finally, I will randomly select a subset of ten students to

interview about their experiences learning under each instructional method.

March

May, 2014

This time is allotted to spend analyzing my results and preparing a written report.


23/23

,-./01 23 34,. 15/0',67 9:

Sample of survey to be used in the research:

flipped classroom research paper

Documents