FLIPPED CLASSROOMS

Flipped Classrooms
Caitlin Troy
How do flipped classrooms impact student learning?
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of
Science in Education, Educational Technology, State University of New
York at Oneonta, 2018
Oneonta, New York
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Abstract

I have chosen to research and study the use of EDPuzzle through flipped classrooms. I will be

investigating the following questions: How does EDPuzzle impact student learning, how does

EDPuzzle impact student motivation, how does the use of flipped classrooms impact student

motivation, and how does the use of flipped classrooms impact achievement in student learning?

I would like to research how I can be the most effective with using this technology tool to

support student learning. The learning modality of flipped classrooms demonstrates a strong use

of EDPuzzle/educational videos to support student engagement, which is why I would like to

focus on flipped classrooms for my thesis. The research I have found supports the notion that

flipped classrooms increase student engagement and academic performance in a course.

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1 ...................................................................................................................................................... 4

Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 4
Problem Statement .................................................................................................................................. 4
Research Questions .................................................................................................................................. 4
Assumptions ............................................................................................................................................. 4
The Researcher ......................................................................................................................................... 5
Summary .................................................................................................................................................. 6
Chapter 2 ...................................................................................................................................................... 7

Review of Literature ..................................................................................................................................... 7

Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 7
Summary ................................................................................................................................................ 10
References .................................................................................................................................................. 11

Appendices ................................................................................................................................................. 11
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Chapter 1

Introduction

Overview

Through my graduate coursework, I have spent a majority of time researching technology

tools that supports learners to be independent and cognitively engaged in materials. One

technology tool that I have taken a particular interest in is EdPuzzle. I have studied a lot about it

throughout my courses and have begun to implement it somewhat regularly in my own

classroom. Now, I would like to research how I can be the most effective with using this

technology tool to support student learning. In my research and throughout various assignments,

I have a noticed a correlation between EDPuzzle and flipped classrooms. For these reasons, I am

focusing my thesis on how flipped classrooms support student learning. The research supports

the notion that flipped classrooms increase student engagement and the academic performance in

a course.

Problem Statement

How do flipped classrooms support student learning?

Research Questions

• How does EDPuzzle impact student learning?

• How does EDPuzzle impact student motivation?

• How does the use of flipped classrooms impact student motivation?

• How does the use of flipped classrooms impact achievement in student learning?

Assumptions

I assume that students will be more engaged in learning through videos as opposed to

teacher led lectures as mini-lessons. In my observations teaching the past two years, I have
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noticed that students are more engaged in the content and lessons when technology is

implemented. This is a key reason for why I am motivated to try innovative and different ways of

using technology in the classroom. Additionally, I assume that not every single student will be

prepared and complete the video the night prior for the classic flipped classroom setting. I

imagine that I will need to have an incentives or possible consequence when students do or do

not act responsibly and complete their homework the night before by being introduced to a new

topic through EDPuzzle. I believe during this experience I will need to be flexible and open

minded to trying new strategies to make the flipped classroom the most effective. Lastly, I

assume that more learning will occur through flipped classroom as compared to the traditional

lesson/classroom. Through initial research and having worked with adolescents, I wish to

conduct this particular study because I feel that flipped classrooms can be manageable for me

and will increase student learning.

The Researcher

I graduated from SUNY Oneonta in May 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Adolescent

Education and Mathematics. After graduation, I moved to New York City to pursue teaching in a

different environment than one I was accustomed to. I worked during the summer following

graduation at a summer school program called BELL Summer Bridge Program where I worked

with 20 incoming high school freshman students on various math content. That following school

year I obtained a job as a high school math teacher at the Facing History School in Manhattan.

For the past two school years, I have been teaching ninth and tenth grade algebra at the school.

One year into teaching full time I decided to begin graduate school by obtaining my Master of

Science in Education as a educational technology specialist from SUNY Oneonta. I plan

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graduating within the next year or two and also plan to continue to work at the Facing History

School.

Summary

This chapter provides an overview on my thesis topic as well some insight into my

personal experiences and why I want to explore this topic further.

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Chapter 2

Review of Literature
Introduction

This chapter will focus on literature revolving around the use of EDPuzzle and flipped

classrooms. There will be a discussion of themes and results that were discovered in studies that

explored flipped classrooms. The results found were positive and allow teachers to explore

different ways to engage students in the content. The overview that will be provided regarding

the research addresses similar themes and questions that were described in chapter one. The

methodologies that were used in the research studies will be discussed and analyzed in this

chapter of the proposal.

Topics

Flipped classrooms are a teaching model where the information and content instruction

takes place outside of the class time and the class time is instead used for solving problems and

applying conceptual knowledge. This modality of instruction allows teachers to work with

students who struggle as well as provide challenges to students who demonstrate master of

learning objectives. Research demonstrates that students learn more in flipped classrooms.

Cronhjort addresses that “Murphy et al. (2015) concluded that students in a flipped linear algebra

class scored considerably higher on the final exam compared to students in a traditional lecture

class. A closer look at two questions on the final exam revealed that students in the flipped class

explained more in their solutions compared to students in the lecture class” (p. 16). This research

suggests that students in the flipped class not only solve problems but understood what they were

doing and why to a greater extent than those not in a flipped class.

Research supports the correlation between an increase in student engagement as well as

an increase in academic performance. In a flipped classroom setting, the traditional order of

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activities in a lesson is rearranged. Students are provided videos, possibly from EDPuzzle or

other technology sources, where the learning can occur through these “lecture” videos at home.

Then, in class, students can work on what would otherwise be their classwork or homework with

the teacher. This crucial time that students now have to work on homework that they would

normally do at home can greatly impact their understanding of content. Students now have the

opportunity to ask questions about what they didn’t understand get immediate feedback from

teachers and/or peers. It also gives the teacher the opportunity to have more one-on-one time

with students that need extra help. This academic support shows an increase in overall academic

performance in students in this flipped classroom structure. Chen addresses that “early research

is promising: In one survey, nearly 70 percent of “flipped” students had increased standarixed

test scores as compared to traditionally taught students in previous years. Carol Redmond, a

kindergarten teaher in Stillwater, MN, flipped her students’ vocabulary lesson last year. The

result: Their reading levels were, on average, two steps higher than her previous classes’ had

been at the same point in the school year (p. 62).

The flipped classroom has roots in both constructivist and social-constructivist

perspectives of learning, meaning that the active role of the learner is in obtaining knowledge

and that teachers now become vitally important to scaffold content and materials. Stohr applied a

constructivist-based learning approach in an international business communication course,

moving the practice to theory in an online format. They reported very positive experiences with

this flipped classroom structure. The study did lend results that argues that the flipped classroom

is not suitable for all contexts. Stohr addresses that, “The studies included in this special issue

come to varying conclusions regarding the effectiveness of the flipped classroom approach

compared to traditional teaching in higher education. Most notably, they highlight the
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importance of considering a range of individual as well as contextual factors when implementing

and evaluating the flipped classroom approach. To put it differently, there are no panaceas in

higher education: interventions seldom work everywhere and for everyone” (p. 3).

This article provides a descriptive analysis of an action research project upon the

application of the flipped classroom approach in twelve teaching classes of 6th graders in the

Greek public primary school. Currently, there is no research on flipping in the area of teaching

English as a Foreign Language. In the flipped classroom, the traditional lecture and homework

sessions are inverted with students being provided with online material in order to gain the

necessary knowledge before class, while class time is devoted to clarifications and application of

this knowledge. Therefore, the research presented in this article, aimed at examining whether

English Language Teachers were ready to embrace flipping as part of their professional

development, to evaluate the provided flipping material and to develop new one. In this study,

teachers found that their students were engaged in the flipped classroom lessons and had

numerous opportunities to communicate with one another. Rigoutsou addresses that “The

learners managed to gain knowledge of the subject matter at their own pace at home and

proceeded to it application in class through engaging hands-on activities. Although they may

have not saved time from homework since they watched the videos several times, they

completed a significant number of tasks at home in some cases reaching a point of homework

completion mastery” (p. 175).

As new technologies become available, they are often implemented in educational

settings to enhance traditional instruction. The flipped teaching model is a recent and popular

technology educational model where learning of new concepts takes place at home while

practice occurs in the classroom. The purpose of this study was to investigate how using the
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flipped teaching model affects student performance, perceptions, and teacher satisfaction in

comparison to the traditional model. Sixteen teachers implemented the flipped teaching model in

their classrooms and reported the results of the flipped teaching model. Unal addresses that

“Pretests and posttests were used to measure and compare student performance while student and

teacher surveys facilitated data collection on student perception and teacher satisfaction. The

results of the study showed that, in most cases, the flipped classroom model demonstrated higher

student learning gains, more positive student perception, and higher teacher satisfaction

compared to the traditional model” (p. 151). This study supports evidence that the flipped

classroom can have the potential to be an extremely effective learning style.

Methodologies

I noticed the all the studies demonstrate mixed methods of research. They all use both

qualitative and quantitative methods for research. Using these methods helps organize the data as

well as enhance the validity of the results.

Summary

The first article I researched described the modality of instruction by flipped classrooms

allows teachers to work with students who struggle as well as provide challenges to students who

demonstrate master of learning objectives. The second article had data that supported the

correlation between an increase in student engagement as well as an increase in academic

performance. The third article evaluated the effectiveness of flipped classrooms. The article

reported very positive experiences with this flipped classroom structure. The fourth article also

described positive results from implement flipped classrooms. They stated that the learners

managed to gain knowledge of the subject matter at their own pace at home and proceeded to it

application in class through engaging hands-on activities. The fifth article also demonstrated that
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with using the flipped teaching model there was a positive effect on student performance,

perceptions, and teacher satisfaction in comparison to the traditional model.

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References
Cronhjort, M., Filipsson, L., & Weurlander, M. (2017). Improved engagement and learning in

flipped classroom calculus. Teaching Mathematics and its Applications: An International

Journal of the IMA, 5(23), 3-24.

Chen, C. (2018). Which students benefit from a flipped classroom approach to language

learning. British Journal of Educational Technology, 49(1), pg. 56-68.

Rigoutsou, A. a. (2018). Flipped classroom integration in Greek state primary schools: an action

research project. Research Papers in language Teachign & Learning, 9(1), 166-180.

Stohr, C. c, & Adawi, T. t. (2018). Flipped Classroom Research: From “Black Box” to “White

Box” Evaluation. Education Sciences, 8(1), 1-4. doi:10.3390/educsci8010022

Unal, Z. u., & Unal, A. a. (2017). Comparison of Student Performance, Student Perception, and

Teacher Satisfaction with Traditional versus Flipper Classroom Models. International

Journal of Instruction, 10(4), 145-164. doi:10.12973/ijii.2017.1049a