The effectiveness of the flipped classroom approach in the teaching of ‘moments’ at form 3 level

Abstract

This research study investigates the effectiveness of the flipped classroom approach with students at Form 3 level when teaching the physics topic ‘moments’. The flipped classroom is a relatively new way of teaching in Malta. In this strategy, students learn new content at home through resources prepared by their teacher instead of the traditional practice problems that they are normally given. This opens up class time for activities, problem solving, and other forms of active learning. The aim of this study was reached by evaluating the effectiveness of this approach in terms of (i) a teaching perspective and (ii) the improvement and retention of students, when compared to a control group which was taught using traditional teaching methods. Data was collected qualitatively in the form of pre- and post-interviews with the teacher, and quantitatively by performing pre-, post- and retention tests for students. Results indicated that this approach had a positive impact on classroom time which led to students adopting a more independent learning role. Furthermore, a significant difference in the improvement level of the experimental group when compared to the control group was recorded. However, when it came to retention abilities, the flipped classroom approach was found to yield a similar level of retention compared to the control group. Although further work is required, the results of this study indicate that this approach is not one to disregard, but can be a highly effective tool in a teacher’s pocket.