*WINNER* Flipped Versus Face-to-face Classrooms and Science Achievement in Middle School

Abstract

The purposes of this study were to compare student achievement between seventh grade students receiving instruction in a face-to-face versus a flipped classroom as well as to gauge how those who were in the flipped classroom felt about their experiences. During spring 2018, three classes received face-to-face instruction (85 students: 54 boys and 31 girls) and three other classes received instruction in a flipped classroom (72 students: 32 boys and 40 girls). The study design was the matching-only pretest-posttest control group design. In addition to pre and post assessments, students who experienced the flipped classroom completed a survey at the end to provide perceptions of their experiences with the flipped model. A three-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that the main effect of method was not significant F(1,124) =.000, p > .05. While slight differences were observed, with females faring slightly better than males in the flipped classroom, there was no statistically significant interaction between the two gender and method F(1,124) = 1.443, p > .05. The interaction between method and student aptitude (low, middle, and high) was also not significant F(1,124) = 2.589, p > 085. Overall, student feedback on the survey administered to students who experienced the flipped classroom was found to be very positive. The vast majority of students preferred flipped instruction to face-to-face instruction.