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The Flipped Classroom Approach in High School Psychology: An Action Research Study

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Abstract

The flipped classroom approach has grown in various disciplines; however, only few research studies are conducted in social sciences at K-12 settings. This action research investigated the impact of implementing a flipped classroom approach on students’ motivation and learning the content knowledge in a suburban high school introductory psychology course. Also, students’ perceptions about the effectiveness of a flipped classroom approach was explored. Data were collected from 58 high school students using teacher-made pre- and post-tests, student surveys, interviews and exit slips. Results indicated that student motivation, perceptions, and effectiveness of learning are supported in the flipped classroom due to increased opportunities for collaboration, review, and the incorporation of active learning. Implications for psychology teachers and other social science high school teachers were discussed, including extensive planning, allocation of class time for active learning activities, and preparation of students for becoming active learners.

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Correspondence to Ismahan Arslan-Ari.

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Appendices

Appendix 1

Table 4

Table 4 Samples of the stages of the flipped classroom approach in psychology

Appendix 2

Instructional Motivation Materials Survey

Directions

There are 36 statements in this questionnaire. Please think about each statement in relation to the flipped classroom model you have experienced in our introduction to psychology class, and indicate how true it is. When referring to learning units, this means the instructional units you have participated in during our flipped classroom activities, including pre-class, in-class, and out of class activities. Give the answer that truly applies to you, and not what you would like to be true, or what you think others want to hear. Think about each statement by itself and indicate how true it is. Do not be influenced by your answers to other statements. Record your responses in this Google form and follow any other directions that you come across. Thank you.

  • 1 = Not true, 2 = Slightly true, 3 = Moderately true, 4 = Mostly true, 5 = Very true

Attention (12 Items)

  • There was something interesting at the beginning of these learning units that got my attention.

  • The videos and instructional material are eye-catching.

  • The quality of the flipped classroom lessons helped to hold my attention.

  • This subject (psychology) is so abstract that it was hard to keep my attention on it.

  • The videos of the learning units looked dry and unappealing.

  • The way the information is arranged helped keep my attention.

  • The learning units have things that stimulated my curiosity.

  • The amount of repetition in these learning units caused me to get bored sometimes.

  • I learned some things that were surprising or unexpected.

  • The variety of pre-class, in-class, and outside class activities helped keep my attention on the lesson.

  • The style of the learning units is boring.

  • There is so much content in each video that it is irritating.

Relevance (9 Items)

  • It is clear to me how the content of these learning units are related to things I already know.

  • There were stories, pictures, or examples that showed me how this material could be important to some people.

  • Completing these learning units successfully was important to me.

  • The content of these learning units are relevant to my interests.

  • There are explanations or examples of how people use the knowledge in this lesson.

  • The content and style of active learning in class convey the impression that its content worth knowing.

  • The learning units were not relevant to my needs because I already knew most of it.

  • I could relate the content of this lesson to things I have seen, done, or thought about in my own life.

  • The content of this lesson will be useful to me.

Confidence (9 Items)

  • When I first looked at the learning objectives, I had the impression that it would be easy for me.

  • The psychology learning units were more difficult to understand than I would like for it to be.

  • After reading the introductory information, I felt confident that I knew what I was supposed to learn from these learning units.

  • Many of the videos had so much information that it was hard to pick out and remember the important points.

  • As I worked on these learning units, I was confident that I could learn the content.

  • The exercises in these learning units were too difficult.

  • After working on the learning units for a while, I was confident that I would be able to pass a test on it.

  • I could not really understand quite a bit of the material in these learning units.

  • The good organization of the content helped me be confident that I would learn this material.

Satisfaction (6 Items)

  • Completing the exercises in these learning units gave me a satisfying feeling of accomplishment.

  • I enjoyed this class so much that I would like to know more about this topic.

  • I really enjoy studying these learning units.

  • The wording of feedback after the exercises, or of other comments in this lesson, helped me feel rewarded for my effort.

  • It felt good to successfully complete these learning units.

  • It was a pleasure to work on such well-designed learning units.

Appendix 3

Table 5

Table 5 Exit slip questions to complete the instructional units

Appendix 4

Interview Protocol

Good morning/afternoon/evening, thank you for consenting to participate in this interview process. Thank you for also consenting in allowing me to record this interview, so that I can have accurate data recorded. Let’s first begin by discussing the purpose of the study. The purpose of this study is to determine how and in what ways the flipped classroom approaches influence motivation, learning, and perceptions in our introductory psychology course. Our interview will cover three topics. The first topic I’d like to discuss is how and in what ways implementing flipped classroom approaches have affected your motivation to learn in our psychology course. The second topic is to discuss how the flipped classroom strategies have affected learning in our course. The third topic regards your perceptions of the flipped classroom in our psychology course. This interview will last 20 to 30 min. Do you have any questions before we get started? Let’s begin.

  1. 1.

    Describe the elements of the flipped classroom that motivated you.

  2. 2.

    Describe the elements of the flipped classroom that did not motivate you.

  3. 3.

    Describe your role as a student in the flipped classroom.

  4. 4.

    Describe the role of the instructor in the flipped classroom.

    1. a.

      Give an example of an activity that really motivated you in our flipped classroom.

  5. 5.

    Describe how the videos helped you make connections to our class content and things you’ve learned about before.

  6. 6.

    How did your flipped classroom experience differ from other classes that you’ve taken that didn’t use the flipped classroom?

    1. a.

      Now that you’ve experienced the flipped classroom, how would you describe your experiences to someone looking to take psychology?

  7. 7.

    How did the flipped classroom inspire curiosity in you?

  8. 8.

    What video experiences made you want to learn more about psychology?

  9. 9.

    Observing your own behavior in our psychology class, could you describe your levels of motivation?

  10. 10.

    Tell me about the innovations in the flipped classroom that motivated you the most.

  11. 11.

    Tell me about the innovations in the flipped classroom that motivated you the least. What did you like the least in our flipped classroom?

  12. 12.

    In regards to learning the course content, describe how effective flipped classroom methods have been in comparison to traditional classrooms.

  13. 13.

    Describe how effective you feel that participating in flipped classroom methods has been in helping you learn in our course.

  14. 14.

    Tell me about the learning activities that made you feel as though you really got it.

  15. 15.

    Overall, describe whether you feel the flipped classroom helped you to learn the objectives included in our instruction.

  16. 16.

    Describe your feelings about your classroom experiences regarding activities before, during, and after class.

  17. 17.

    How do you feel that the flipped classroom added to your classroom experience?

    1. a.

      Tell me about your experiences with your collaborative experiences with your classmates.

    2. b.

      Tell me about the amount of work you had to do outside of class.

  18. 18.

    What words would you use to describe the flipped classroom experience?

  19. 19.

    How do you feel about the accessibility of our course content?

    1. a.

      Was information easy to get to and clear?

    2. b.

      Was the class online difficult to maneuver and unclear?

  20. 20.

    Describe the active learning strategies that you participated in while in class that helped you learn the material.

  21. 21.

    Describe how effective flipped classroom strategies have been in your overall learning experience.

  22. 22.

    Would you recommend the flipped psychology classroom to others?

  23. 23.

    What are your opinions regarding the flipped learning approach?

This concludes our time discussing your experiences in the flipped classroom. Thank you for participating in this interview. I will review your answers and ask you to confirm your statements once I have completed transcription of this data. Thank you again.

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Ritter, N., Arslan-Ari, I. The Flipped Classroom Approach in High School Psychology: An Action Research Study. TechTrends 67, 245–259 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-022-00789-8

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