The flipped Chemistry classroom : a case study of Year 9 students’ views and performance

Abstract

This case study, which was conducted amongst fifteen Year 9 Chemistry students attending a co-ed state school in Malta, sought to identify how the factual topic ‘Nature of Matter, Atomic Structure and Chemical Bonding’ can be taught using the flipped learning technique. In addition, it aimed to establish what impact this technique would have on the students’ performance with regards to the learning outcomes as specified in the chemistry MATSEC syllabus. Students’ views on this approach with regards to their engagement, motivation and learning were also looked into. Data were collected through multiple sources. These include teacher observations, students’ reflective diaries, a focus group, a Likert-scale questionnaire as well as an end-of-topic test. The research findings indicate that the students managed to reach most of the outcomes specified by the MATSEC syllabus. In addition, even though most of the students were found to be very teacher-dependent, the majority of them declared that they liked this new approach. This is because they felt more prepared when attending class, they were allowed to learn at their own pace and they also found the technological aspect of it enjoyable. The flipped learning technique also freed-up class time so that more student-centred activities such as peer tutoring and collaborative work could take place. In addition, more time was spent in the identification and addressing of misconceptions, on formative assessment tasks and in providing feedback. Student support was also provided at all times.