Preliminary evidence of key factors in successful flipping: predicting positive student experiences in flipped classrooms

Abstract

Flipped classrooms have become widely adopted in educational settings (e.g., in higher education) worldwide. However, there is a need for more precise understanding of the ingredients for student satisfaction in a flipped setting. The aim of this paper was to investigate university students’ experiences of the factors that create a successful flipped course. Ten measures were used to investigate the hypothesized factors affecting satisfaction, which were chosen based on the results from previous flipped classroom studies and higher educational research. These measures were grouped into three dimensions: (1) pedagogical (five measures), (2) social (three measures), and (3) technological (two measures). Exploratory factor analysis was run to analyze the adequacy of the instruments. Results revealed that the factor structure was as expected and that the instruments measuring all ten factors of teaching and learning in a flipped classroom were adequate. Furthermore, confirmatory factor analysis was used to formally operationalize the hypothesized latent constructs, and to build a structural equation model for predicting the student satisfaction of a flipped classroom. In the end, seven factors were found to predict student satisfaction with flipped courses. The highest predictor was guidance from the dimension of pedagogy, and the second-best predictor was experienced teaching for understanding. The results, limitations, and conclusion are discussed in terms of key issues and the development of a flipped classroom pedagogical design for higher education.

Students’ perspectives on the functionality of the flipped classroom approach in master’s thesis seminar

“…The results of this study support previous findings that the FC approach can enhance students' positive learning experiences and that guidance for the FC approach is an important factor of student satisfaction (Sointu et al, 2022;Awidi & Paynter, 2019;Manson et al, 2013;Strelan et al, 2020). This was shown by the group-level results of the quantitative data, indicating higher levels of guidance and satisfaction and a lower level of difficulty.…”

“…The individual statements also reflected the results at the group level, as did the qualitative data results in general. This may be due to time-and location-flexible learning (e.g., Alexander et al, 2019), face-to-face meetings that facilitate in-depth cognitive activity (Abeysekera & Dawson, 2015), and well-guided pedagogy at the beginning of the seminar (Sointu et al, 2022;Manson et al, 2013). Vol.…”

“…However, some scholars have pointed out the current use of technology in the FC approach may not leverage the full potential of digital tools (e.g., Becker & Birdi, 2018). Although there is no single model for implementing the FC approach (O'Flaherty et al, 2015), some core features have been suggested that can make this endeavor successful: clearly structured learning materials (Hung, 2015), consistency in sequencing (Prober & Khan, 2013), feedback and (formative) assessment (Tusa et al, 2018;Yeung & O'Malley, 2014), timely support from teachers (Kim et al, 2014), and guidance concerning the FC approach (Sointu et al, 2022;Gannod et al, 2008).…”

“…However, positive ascpets also exists. The FC approach has been found to enhance positive learning experiences (Sointu et al, 2022;Awidi & Paynter, 2019;Strelan et al, 2020), improve content learning (Tusa et al, 2018;Davies et al, 2013), and support a deeper level of learning in FC settings where the teacher is available to provide learning support (Gilboy et al, 2015). Students have been found to be more open to collaborative learning activities in FC (Strayer, 2012), which is perceived as a positive factor of student learning (Love et al, 2014;McNally et al, 2017).…”

“…A mixed-methods approach was used in this study to capture the strengths of both quantitative and qualitative methods (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2018). We used (1) the short Functionality of Flipped Classroom Questionnaire (FFCQ; Sointu et al, 2022;Hyypiä, 2019) to obtain quantitative data, (2) individual statements,…”