Influence of flipped classroom methodology on the self-concept of primary education students

Abstract

Flipped classroom is an educational methodology whereby students complete the most theoretical part of a lesson at home, usually by viewing educational videos or using other similar tools. This allows them to dedicate more class time to developing higher order thinking skills via the completion of practical tasks. Since its introduction in the classroom few years ago, the number of primary education teachers using the method has increased steadily, but teachers sometimes lack reliable data on its effectiveness. The objective of this research was to address this by analysing how the methodology affects primary education students' self-concept. To this end, data were collected on 822 students (Age = 10.84; SD = .873), who were divided into a control group (437 students) and an experimental group (385 students). The experimental group underwent a 7-month flipped classroom intervention. Both groups completed the AF-5 scale before and after the intervention. The results suggest, firstly, that the flipped classroom methodology neither significantly improved nor significantly worsened any of the dimensions of self-concept more than the group that did not apply this methodology. Meanwhile, however, both groups did show improvements in the social, emotional and family dimensions of their self-concept. The paper concludes with a discussion of these outcomes and suggestions for future research topics.