Abstract:

In this article, we present the outcomes of an empirical study on the experiences and perceptions of young students upon the implementation of a flipped classroom (FC) model across primary education context in Cyprus. The research primarily aimed to address a lack of research effort and a limited academic knowledge concerning the effectiveness of the FC model in elementary education context by closely following and observing students' experiences in different phases of the model (i.e., pre-class, in-class and after-class phase). The proposed FC model in this study includes three different learning and design phases: each comes with a set of instructional tools and guidelines for teachers to support their classroom design and management. During the pre-class phase, students explore the learning content provided by the teacher at home and obtain an entrance ticket (one of the instructional tools developed in this study). During class time, students participate in a series of inquiry-based classroom activities, which require them to be creative and collaborative. Forums and other features of the online learning platform are utilized so as to also promote networked learning experiences through student-to-student collaboration and communication. The after-class phase involves self-assessment procedures and the completion of an e-portfolio page. The sample of the research included five experienced primary school teachers in five different schools in Cyprus who have implemented the model in at least three learning subjects in different grades throughout a whole school year. There was a total of 80 students participating in the research (and their parents). The main data collection methods included classroom investigations, student focus groups, teacher and parent interviews. The data analysis in NVivo gave rise to the following (how many?) themes: flips, entrance tickets, in-class activities, teacher, digital tools and orchestration routines. The results suggested that most students perceived the learning experiences very positive in the FC context- particularly positive about their experiences in the pre-class phase. Examples of various student quotes, such as “Rewinding my teacher was great?” and “So the flip was amazing”, evidence successful implementation from the perspective of the students despite several reported challenges (e.g., poor connectivity in class and laziness of students to watch the flips). The main contribution of this research is the orchestration routines developed through the lense of the students’ experiences and perspectives which can themselves provide the framework of a study which would primarily focus on exploring and developing effective FC models in primary education.

Keywords:

Flipped learning, flipped classroom, flips, entrance tickets, primary education, blended learning.