Flipped classrooms to enhance postgraduate students’ research skills in preparing a research proposal

Abstract

The study examines the impact of flipped classrooms (FC) in enhancing postgraduate students’ research skills in preparing a research proposal (RP). Postgraduate students in the College of Education at King Saud University were enrolled in a special course called ‘Independent Study’ that specialises in helping students prepare an RP. A class of eight students were taught this course using the FC strategy. The students took a test in research skills both before and after the course, and were administered a questionnaire to understand their attitude towards the FC strategy. It was found that students’ relevant research skills improved between the pre-test and post-test, indicating that the FC was an appropriate teaching strategy. Theoretically, the study supports the FC strategy by highlighting its role in enhancing students’ learning and in helping students overcome obstacles faced during their work preparing an RP, such as getting enough practice, teacher supervision, and feedback.