Improvement in Student Performance and Perceptions through a Flipped Anatomy Classroom: Shifting from Passive Traditional to Active Blended Learning

One of the major challenges facing anatomy educators is delivering the anatomy materials in fewer hours with a reduction of anatomy courses in the integrated curricula. The flipped classroom modality may be an innovative solution. However, its effectiveness remains under debate due to a lack of outcome-based research and the mixed results of students' performance. The present study aimed to determine the outcome of the flipped classroom based upon the level of student cognition. The study investigated performance on 17 multiple-choice anatomy questions as a part of the final examination of the musculoskeletal system module. The results were compared between the first-year female students of Qassim Medical College, specifically the flipped classroom group (46 students) of the academic year (2018–2019) and the traditional group (49 students) of the academic year (2017–2018). The mean differences in the students' grades on the anatomy questions at the level of knowledge, application, and analysis using Cohen's d test were 0.43, 1.41, and 1.01, respectively. These results suggest the positive impact of flipping the students' classrooms on improving their levels of thinking according to Bloom's taxonomy. Perception surveys also revealed students' enthusiasm for the pre-class activities, leading to a better performance in the class with more engagement with their peers and teachers. The present study suggested that the flipped classroom modality can be performed to compensate for the reduction of anatomy educational hours. However, further studies are recommended to investigate the best practices of the flipped classroom that fit with the students' needs and workloads.     

Flipped classroom instruction for inclusive learning

The flipped classroom is a teaching methodology that has gained recognition in primary, secondary and higher education settings. The flipped classroom inverts traditional teaching methods, delivering lecture instruction outside class, and devoting class time to problem solving, with the teacher's role becoming that of a learning coach and facilitator. This methodology provides an avenue for more hands‐on and student‐driven learning during class time. The benefits of a flipped classroom include increased student motivation, differentiating instruction, self‐pacing lessons and mastery learning, increased collaboration and instant feedback for formative assessment. Although limited research has been conducted regarding students with learning difficulties in inclusive settings using a flipped learning model, initial research indicates flipping a classroom can be beneficial. Information is provided on inclusive practices from numerous countries that are beneficial to students with learning difficulties, as well as strategies and resources for individuals who may want to implement a flipped classroom.     

Flipping the 4th grade social studies course in a cooperative way: Effects on academic achievement and motivation

In this study, through using the flipped classroom and cooperative learning methods both together and separately, this study examines the changes in the motivation and academic achievement levels of 4th-grade students in primary school. Three experimental groups and one control group were used in the research. As a result of this work, the flipped classroom, the cooperative learning method in the flipped classroom environment and the cooperative learning method used separately achieved both a positive and significant effect on the students' levels of academic achievement and motivation in both the pre-experiment and post-experiment groups, when compared with the control group. At the end of this study, we've provided recommendations on how to use the flipped classroom and cooperative learning methods, both together and separately.     

Application of flipped classroom pedagogy to the human gross anatomy laboratory: Student preferences and learning outcomes

To improve student preparedness for anatomy laboratory dissection, the dental gross anatomy laboratory was transformed using flipped classroom pedagogy. Instead of spending class time explaining the procedures and anatomical structures for each laboratory, students were provided online materials to prepare for laboratory on their own. Eliminating in‐class preparation provided the opportunity to end each period with integrative group activities that connected laboratory and lecture material and explored clinical correlations. Materials provided for prelaboratory preparation included: custom‐made, three‐dimensional (3D) anatomy videos, abbreviated dissection instructions, key atlas figures, and dissection videos. Data from three years of the course (n = 241 students) allowed for analysis of students' preferences for these materials and detailed tracking of usage of 3D anatomy videos. Students reported spending an average of 27:22 (±17:56) minutes preparing for laboratory, similar to the 30 minutes previously allocated for in‐class dissection preparation. The 3D anatomy videos and key atlas figures were rated the most helpful resources. Scores on laboratory examinations were compared for the three years before the curriculum change (2011–2013; n = 242) and three years after (2014–2016; n = 241). There was no change in average grades on the first and second laboratory examinations. However, on the final semi‐cumulative laboratory examination, scores were significantly higher in the post‐flip classes (P = 0.04). These results demonstrate an effective model for applying flipped classroom pedagogy to the gross anatomy laboratory and illustrate a meaningful role for 3D anatomy visualizations in a dissection‐based course. Anat Sci Educ 11: 385–396. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists.     

The impact of a classroom intervention on grade 10 students' argumentation skills,informal reasoning,and conceptual understanding of science

The literature provides confounding information with regard to questions about whether students in high school can engage in meaningful argumentation about socio‐scientific issues and whether this process improves their conceptual understanding of science. The purpose of this research was to explore the impact of classroom‐based argumentation on high school students' argumentation skills, informal reasoning, and conceptual understanding of genetics. The research was conducted as a case study in one school with an embedded quasi‐experimental design with two Grade 10 classes (n = 46) forming the argumentation group and two Grade 10 classes (n = 46) forming the comparison group. The teacher of the argumentation group participated in professional learning and explicitly taught argumentation skills to the students in his classes during one, 50‐minute lesson and involved them in whole‐class argumentation about socio‐scientific issues in a further two lessons. Data were generated through a detailed, written pre‐ and post‐instruction student survey. The findings showed that the argumentation group, but not the comparison group, improved significantly in the complexity and quality of their arguments and gave more explanations showing rational informal reasoning. Both groups improved significantly in their genetics understanding, but the improvement of the argumentation group was significantly better than the comparison group. The importance of the findings are that after only a short intervention of three lessons, improvements in the structure and complexity of students' arguments, the degree of rational informal reasoning, and students' conceptual understanding of science can occur. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 47: 952–977, 2010     

Flipped anatomy classroom integrating multimodal digital resources shows positive influence upon students' experience and learning performance

Anatomy is shifting toward a greater focus on adopting digital delivery. To advance digital and authentic learning in anatomy, a flipped classroom model integrating multimodal digital resources and a multimedia group assignment was designed and implemented for first-year neuroanatomy and third-year regional anatomy curricula. A five-point Likert scale learning and teaching survey was conducted for a total of 145 undergraduate health science students to evaluate students' perception of the flipped classroom model and digital resources. This study revealed that over two-thirds of participants strongly agreed or agreed that the flipped classroom model helped their independent learning and understanding of difficult anatomy concepts. The response showed students consistently enjoyed their experience of using multimodal digital anatomy resources. Both first-year (75%) and third-year (88%) students strongly agreed or agreed that digital tools are very valuable and interactive for studying anatomy. Most students strongly agreed or agreed that digital anatomy tools increased their learning experience (~80%) and confidence (> 70%). The third-year students rated the value of digital anatomy tools significantly higher than the first-year students (p = 0.0038). A taxonomy-based assessment strategy revealed that the third-year students, but not the first-year, demonstrated improved performance in assessments relating to clinical application (p = 0.045). In summary, a flipped anatomy classroom integrating multimodal digital approaches exerted positive impact upon learning experience of both junior and senior students, the latter of whom demonstrated improved learning performance. This study extends the pedagogy innovation of flipped classroom teaching, which will advance future anatomy curriculum development, pertinent to post-pandemic education.     

Impact of student agency on learning performance and learning experience in a flipped classroom

The efficacy of the flipped classroom model largely depends on the specifications of its design and implementation, and one important specification to consider is student agency. With the purpose of prescribing the optimal level of student agency for the flipped classroom, this study conducted a repeated-measures experimental design to compare the effects of three levels of student agency in an undergraduate flipped course with 43 students. The empirical results revealed that student agency had a significant impact on students' academic performance and perceived learning experience. Moreover, a low level of student agency appeared to induce superior performance and evaluation ratings from the students and counter the influence of personality and self-study time. The findings are expected to inform the design and implementation of flipped courses and extend our understanding of student-centred learning to the context of the flipped classroom.     

Academic Self‐Perceptions,Effort, and Strategy Use in Students with Learning Disabilities: Changes Over Time

This study investigated changes in teachers' and students' perceptions of students' effort, strategy use, and academic difficulties when strategy instruction was infused into the classroom curriculum. The sample consisted of 201 students with learning disabilities, 210 average achievers, and 57 teachers from Grades 4–9 in two urban and suburban communities. After six months of classroom‐based strategy instruction, students with learning disabilities reported more consistent use of strategies with their schoolwork and perceived themselves as struggling less in reading, writing, and spelling. Teachers perceived the students with learning disabilities as more strategic and as applying more effort to their schoolwork. Teachers also perceived their students as showing significant improvements in spelling, regardless of whether they had learning disabilities. These findings extended the results of previous investigations and indicated the small, positive impact of classroom‐based strategy instruction. Further investigations are critical to evaluate the generalizability of these findings.     

基于翻转课堂的“工程地质”课程教学设计与评价

在总结"工程地质"课程特点的基础上，将翻转课堂引入"工程地质"课程教学中，开展基于翻转课堂的"工程地质"课程教学设计，构建形成性学习评价和考核体系。翻转课堂教学模式将线上与线下教学有效融合，提高了课堂效率，增强了学生学习的主动性和课堂的参与度，有助于培养学生解决工程地质问题的综合能力。学生成绩对比分析结果表明，翻转课堂教学班期末考核成绩明显高于传统教学班；学生满意度问卷调查结果表明，学生对翻转课堂教学环节、考核体系和教学效果的满意度均超过90%，对翻转课堂教学模式给予了充分的肯定。     

Which students benefit most from a flipped classroom approach to language learning?

Research has shown that the potential benefits of a flipped classroom could be diminished by the way students perceive and prepare information prior to class. This study aims to explore individual characteristics, such as learner motivation, self‐efficacy and epistemology beliefs, that might have an impact on learning outcomes in a flipped classroom. Data were collected using four instruments during a 7‐week flipped classroom conducted from mid‐September 2014 to mid‐November 2014 with a total enrolment of 85 students (10 females and 75 males) in the required course, Applied English for Vocational Education. After controlling for pre‐test and other covariates (eg, gender, grade and experience), an analysis based on structural equation modeling showed a positive and significant (β = 0.12, p < 0.05) indirect effect of instrumentality (promotion) on the change in test scores through averaged quiz scores. Beliefs had a significant positive effect on change in scores between pre‐ and post‐tests (β = 0.20, p < 0.05). Findings revealed that language learners with a high level of motivation in instrumentality (promotion) followed quiz mechanisms closely and thus benefited most from the flipped classroom. Learners with high beliefs exhibited improvement in the post‐tests without doing well in quizzes. The implications for a flipped language learning classroom are discussed, including multiple strategies for regulating learners of different personal traits to preview the online course content before class.     

Reflecting Caring and Power in Early Childhood Education: Recalling Memories of Educational Practices

This paper examines university social science and education students' views of research methodology, especially asking whether a negative research orientation towards quantitative methods exists. Finnish (n?=?196) and US (n?=?122) students answered a questionnaire concerning their views on quantitative, qualitative, empirical, and theoretical methods, their readiness to use quantitative and qualitative methods in their own research, and the difficulties they experienced in quantitative methods' learning. Students were clustered in groups according to their views. Students had varying combinations of views on the methods, that is different research orientations towards methods were found in both countries. Some of the students had a dichotic attitude towards quantitative and qualitative methods; they seemed to “choose their side” between these methods. In both countries a negative research orientation towards quantitative methods was found. It was connected with either difficulties in quantitative methods' learning or with a lower appreciation of empirical methods than that of other students. Major subject and study year had no effect, so the views were not discipline‐specific and students seemed to already have them on entering university. Views were quite stable during the course. A reduction in difficulties experienced with quantitative methods' learning was connected with a lowered over‐appreciation of qualitative methods at the end of the course.     

基于移动微课平台的"弹性翻转课堂"教学模式探讨

为了顺应网络碎片化学习的要求,文章利用微信平台搭建智能移动学习环境,并在其基础上设计"弹性翻转课堂"教学模式.不同于传统的翻转课堂,该教学模式在每个教学环节中引入有效的反馈机制,让教师及时调整当前课程以及下次课程的授课内容、教学方法以及教学进度.对计算机专业的学生进行教学实验,结果表明该教学模式可以提高学生在课前环节的参与度,调动学习积极性,并取得了较好的学习效果.     

Design‐based research on the use of a tangible user interface for geometry teaching in an inclusive classroom

This design‐based research study was conducted to identify what importance of a tangible user interface (TUI) can add to teaching and learning. Over a 2‐year period, teachers (n = 39) and students (n = 145) participated in the study. The identified problem for investigation was how students, including those with low fine motor skills and those with learning difficulties, develop geometry concepts combining cognitive and physical activity. A didactical application was designed during the first iteration and implemented in inclusive classrooms during the second and third iterations. Qualitative research methods were applied. A relationship between diverse students’ needs and geometry concept learning in relation to computer‐supported learning by TUI was discovered. Two dimensions were identified: (1) TUIs support concept development, with physical and virtual representations based on dynamic geometry assisted by TUI; (2) TUI manipulative properties support students who have low motor skills and difficulties in their geometry learning as well as in their inclusion in classroom activities. The study outcomes contributed to the design process of the TUI didactical application and its implementation in inclusive classrooms, and to the body of knowledge in teaching and learning geometry concepts applied for computer‐assisted learning environments supported by TUI.     

Toward a set of design principles for mathematics flipped classrooms: A synthesis of research in mathematics education

This paper analyzed the journal publications of mathematics flipped classroom studies in K-12 and higher education contexts. We focused specifically on a set of flipped classroom studies in which pre-class instructional videos were provided prior to face-to-face class meetings. We examined the following four major issues: (a) the types of out-of-class and in-class instructional activities used, (b) the effect of flipped learning on student achievement, (c) the participant perceptions of flipped classroom benefits, and (d) the main challenges of flipped classroom implementations. A meta-analysis of 21 comparison studies showed an overall significant effect in favor of the flipped classroom over the traditional classroom for mathematics education (Hedges' g = 0.298, 95% CI [0.16, 0.44]), with no evidence of publication bias. A broader research synthesis of 61 studies revealed that the flipped classroom approach benefited student learning in three main aspects: increasing in-class time for task/practice, integrating new knowledge with existing beliefs, and real-time feedback. The two most frequently reported flipped classroom challenges were students' unfamiliarity with flipped learning and significant start-up effort on the part of instructors. We hence propose a set of design principles to help foster the transition to the flipped classroom and improve the out-of-class and in-class learning designs. This set of design principles can also provide a more focused agenda for future research to examine the effect of the flipped classroom approach on student learning and motivation.     

General education teacher judgments of their low‐performing students' short‐term reading progress

This study investigated the accuracy of classroom teachers' judgments of the reading progress of their low‐performing students. Participants were 36 second grade teachers and students in their lowest reading groups (n = 150). Student progress was monitored weekly using reading‐curriculum‐based measurement (R‐CBM) procedures. After 6 weeks, teachers were asked to rate their students' progress. Expert judges later reviewed the teachers' R‐CBM graphs and rated the individual and group progress based on the graphs. Teacher ratings did not correlate with expert ratings or the R‐CBM slope estimates. Expert ratings correlated highly with slope estimates. Teachers' estimates of progress were significantly higher than expert judges' ratings, indicating that teachers may overestimate student progress. Implications for practice and future research are discussed. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

How do professional development programs on comparing solution methods and classroom discourse affect students' achievement in mathematics? The mediating role of students’ subject matter justifications

Comparing solution methods fosters strategy flexibility in equation solving. Productive classroom discourse such as Accountable Talk (AT) orchestrated by teachers can improve students' justifications during classroom discussions and achievement. Do students' subject matter justifications during classroom discourse mediate the effect of teachers' professional development (PD) programs focused on comparing and AT on students’ mathematics achievement? We investigated whether two PD programs (comparing or comparing+AT) compared to a control group increased the number of students justifications, and whether this affected mathematics achievement (strategy flexibility, procedural knowledge, and conceptual knowledge). The study (739 9th and 10th grade students in 39 classes) had an experimental pre-post control group design. Both PD programs significantly increased students justifications compared to the control group. The results of our multilevel path models showed significant small mediation effects in the comparing+AT group on procedural and conceptual knowledge. No mediation effects were found in the comparing group.     

A comparative study of the effects of using dynamic geometry software and physical manipulatives on the spatial visualisation skills of pre‐service mathematics teachers

The study compared the effects of dynamic geometry software and physical manipulatives on the spatial visualisation skills of first‐year pre‐service mathematics teachers. A pre‐ and post‐test quasi‐experimental design was used. The Purdue Spatial Visualisation Test (PSVT) was used for the pre‐ and post‐test. There were three treatment groups. The first group (n = 34) used Dynamic Geometry Software (DGS) Cabri 3D as a virtual manipulative and the second group (n = 32) used physical manipulatives. In the control group (n = 30), the students received traditional instruction. The results of the study showed that physical manipulatives and DGS‐based types of instruction are more effective in developing the students' spatial visualisation skills than traditional instruction. In addition, students in the DGS‐based group performed better than the physical manipulative‐based group in the views section of the PSVT.     

Promoting classroom adjustment and social skills for students with mental retardation within an experimental and control group design

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the “I Found a Solution” computer‐assisted social skills intervention program on students with mild mental retardation. Teachers randomly divided students from two Israeli special schools (58 males, 29 females; aged 10.6 to 17.11 years) into an experimental and a control group. Teachers trained the experimental group using a social skills package including computerized social conflict scenarios and adventure games, group discussions, and homework tasks. Within the same time frame, teachers trained the control group to use various academic computer software programs. Following the intervention process, the research team collected information on students' self‐reported social skills and teachers' ratings of the students' adaptive classroom behavior. The experimental group performed significantly better than controls on posttest criteria. Teachers rated trained students as demonstrating better task orientation and less aggression and behavior difficulties. On subjective self‐reports, trained students reported more cooperation and assertion than the control group, but self‐control and empathy measures did not differentiate between groups. The use of a naturalistic mini‐environment for experimenting and rehearsing effective social strategies appears promising but requires further exploration.