Facilitating student engagement through the flipped learning approach in K-12: A systematic review

Abstract

The flipped learning approach has been growing in popularity in both higher education and K-12, especially for its potential to increase active learning and student engagement. However, further research is needed to understand exactly how the flipped approach enhances student engagement. This narrative systematic review synthesises literature published between 2012-2018, focused on the flipped learning approach in K-12 contexts, and indexed in 7 international databases. 107 articles, book chapters, dissertations, conference papers and grey literature were included for review, and the results are discussed against a bioecological model of student engagement. Studies in this review found the approach to overwhelmingly support student engagement, with 93% of studies citing at least one dimension of behavioural, affective or cognitive engagement, whereas 50% of studies reported facets of disengagement. Collaborative technologies such as Google Docs, Google Classroom and Edmodo were particularly linked to engagement, with videos not created by teachers more likely to lead to disengagement. The results indicate that the majority of research has been undertaken in North American and Asian high schools, heavily focused on student perceptions of flipped learning and achievement within STEM subjects, especially Mathematics, with a slight preference for quantitative methods. Only 12% included a definition of student engagement, and less than half used a theoretical framework. Future empirical research should ensure that all contextual information is included, including year level of student participants, that multiple methods of both quantitative and qualitative data collection are included, and close attention is paid to grounding research in theory. Further research is needed on parent, teacher and school leader perceptions, as well as longitudinal and multiple-class studies.

The trends and outcomes of flipped learning research between 2012 and 2018: A descriptive content analysis

“…2012 was a watershed year for flipped learning (Bergmann and Sams 2012;Bond 2020;Talbert 2012Talbert , 2017 as this was the point at which it began to be used as an active pedagogy as well as becoming the subject of academic research. Having examined the databases for the publications between 2000 and 2012 (e.g.…”

“…Class time is commonly used as a resource for putting active experiences into the hands of students, allowing their minds to be constantly engaged (Prince 2004 ; Silberman 1996 ). Flipped learning is, therefore, seen as a learning approach that promotes active engagement (Bond 2020 ). After watching online pre-learning course videos or doing assignments during their individual work time, learners experience active learning sessions in their classrooms.…”

“…Some systematic review studies (Akçayır and Akçayır 2018 ; Bond 2020 ; Låg and Sæle 2019 ; Lo and Hew 2017 ; O’Flaherty and Phillips 2015 ; Turan and Akdag-Cimen 2020 ; Zainuddin et al 2019a , b ; Zou et al 2020 ) collate and highlight the results of primary studies on the effectiveness of flipped learning on academic performance, student or staff satisfaction, level of engagement, active instructional strategies, and possible challenges. However, some of these reviews include studies with relatively short publication date coverage.…”

Transitioning to the “new normal” of learning in unpredictable times: pedagogical practices and learning performance in fully online flipped classrooms

“…The abrupt switch to fully online learning has been particularly stressful for many instructors and students who prefer in-person instruction. Online learning is often stigmatized as a weaker option that provides a lower quality education than in-person face-to-face learning (Hodges et al 2020 ). Indeed, such negative attitudes to fully online learning were revealed by a large EDUCAUSE survey (Pomerantz and Brooks 2017 ).…”

New methods and technologies for enhancing usability and accessibility of educational data

“…This special issue focuses on how to improve universal access to educational data, with emphasis on (a) new technologies and associated data in educational contexts: artificial intelligence systems [ 70 ], robotics [ 71 – 73 ], augmented [ 74 – 76 ]and virtual reality (VR) [ 77 – 81 ], and educational data integration and management [ 82 ]; (b) the role of data in the digital transformation and future of higher education: Personal Learning Environments (PLE) [ 83 , 84 ], mobile PLE [ 85 , 86 ], stealth assessment [ 87 ], technology-supported collaboration and teamwork in educational environments [ 88 ], and student’s engagement and interactions [ 89 , 90 ]; (c) user and case studies on ICTs in Education [ 91 , 92 ]; (d) educational data in serious games and gamification: gamification design [ 93 – 96 ], serious game mechanics for education [ 97 , 98 ], ubiquitous/pervasive gaming [ 99 ], and game-based learning and teaching programming [ 100 , 101 ]; and (e) educational data visualization and data mining [ 102 ]: learning analytics [ 103 ], knowledge discovery [ 104 ], user experience [ 105 , 106 ], social impact [ 107 ], good practices [ 108 ], and accessibility [ 109 , 110 ].…”