To Assess a Gamified 5E Flipped Learning Platform’s Effectiveness in Promoting Student Learning and Achievement in Physics: A Design-Based Research

Abstract

Flipped learning is a new teaching approach that has become popular among many teachers worldwide. However, students' participation in the pre-class activities at home is not always satisfactory. Some students were not interested to participate in these activities. A self-designed learning platform based on 5E instructional model and gamification was developed to support flipped learning in a secondary school (Shun Lee Catholic Secondary School) in Hong Kong. It was used to motivate students to engage in learning Physics. The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of the gamified 5E flipped learning platform in motivating students to complete the class activities and enhancing their learning achievement in Physics. A 2-year design-based research approach was adopted to develop the flipped classroom framework. Both the quantitative and qualitative data collection methods such as student survey and interviews were conducted. The results suggested that more than 80% of the participants strongly agreed or agreed that the self-designed learning platform motivated them to engage in learning Physics. The findings also suggested that the platform can help students to nurture self-directed learning and promote more in-depth learning. Students who used the self-designed learning platform achieved significantly better Physics results that those who did not use it.