Perceptions of the 'flipped classroom': a case study from a developing country

Abstract

The study aimed to examine university students' level of access to the digital technologies needed for flipped learning and their perceptions of a flipped classroom instructional model in an educational technology-related course. A mixed methods study design was used which included a survey and a pre-post quasi-experiment. The use of the flipped classroom approach lasted for ten weeks. The participants were 27 female students enrolled in a 'Principles of Educational Computing' course in the first semester of the 2017/2018 academic year at a university in Kuwait. Data were collected using a questionnaire and interviews over two rounds. The results showed that the students had easy access to the needed digital technologies for flipped learning, including video technology. The study examined students' perceptions of flipped classroom learning before and after the use of the flipped classroom instructional model. The great majority had positive perceptions of the use of flipped classroom learning; the reasons for their positive perceptions were mainly related to the ease of use of the video technology and the pedagogical advantages of the flipped classroom model. Based on students' feedback, the study provided recommendations for higher education that are related to ways of implementing flipped classroom instructional approaches.