Analysis of Engineering Students’ Responses to Flipped Classroom Methodology in the United Arab Emirates

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyse student responses to the introduction of flipped learning methodology at an institution of higher education in the northern region of the United Arab Emirates to identify potential relationships between and among the responses and to determine underlying factors guiding the responses. A survey questionnaire was developed by a team of faculty and sent to students via online survey software. The analysis employed dimension reduction techniques to ascertain underlying factors guiding responses. Two major factors were identified: (1) the focus on educational benefits of the methodology and (2) the instructional relevance of the flipped classroom approach. The study concluded that flipped learning methodology can be useful for improving learning and holds the potential to more adequately engage today's learners.

Flipped Classroom Method with Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in EFL Writing Class

“…From the questionnaire distributed to teachers, it was revealed that the advantages of the flipped classroom are the need of more time for material preparation and technological problems faced by some students who are not familiar with the platform used. Adapted from (Gough et al, 2017;Khodr & Waller, 2016) The teachers also confirmed the questionnaire distribution findings related to flipped classrooms' drawbacks during the in-depth interview. It was stated that material preparation in a flipped classroom setting is time-consuming.…”

“…Table 2 summarizes the mean and standard deviation from different survey questions related to teachers' responses to the strengths of flipped classroom methodology with CALL in the EFL setting. (Gough et al, 2017;Khodr & Waller, 2016) Further, the results of an in-depth interview with teachers also revealed some facts. One of them is that the flipped classroom provides flexibility to teachers in implementing it.…”

“…The teachers' survey questionnaire consisted of 20 statements (5-point Likert scale) and 1 open-ended question. The questionnaires were adapted from (Gough et al, 2017;Khodr & Waller, 2016). The questionnaire's reliability was also tested.…”

“…Table 3 summarizes the mean and standard deviation from different survey questions related to students' responses to the strengths of flipped classroom methodology with CALL in the EFL setting. (Gough et al, 2017;Khodr & Waller, 2016) An in-depth interview was also had been conducted with students to reveal students' perceptions about the advantages of the flipped classroom. The interview confirmed that flipped classrooms could build up their learning motivation because the teaching materials were presented interestingly.…”

English Teachers' Perceived Benefits and Challenges of Flipped Classroom Implementation

“…The questionnaire was adapted from Khodr and Waller (2016) and Gough et al (2017) and customized to be suitable for research questions and related theories. It consisted of 20 question items.…”