A Comparison of Course Practices and Student Outcomes in Traditional Lecture Versus Modified Flipped Algebra I Classrooms

Abstract

Abstract This study compared course teaching practices and student outcomes in 7 Algebra I classes taught in a modified flipped format and 7 classes in the same high school taught in a traditional lecture format during the same year. There were 4 teachers and about 200 hundred randomly assigned students in each format during the experimental year. The study also compared student outcomes of the students in the experimental year with those of students of the same teachers in the previous year when all classes were taught in the traditional lecture format. Based on interviews with the teachers, the study found that for the most part, the instructional flipped format was implemented with fidelity, i.e., the teachers carried out the modified flipped program as intended and in a manner that constituted a significant departure from the traditional lecture format. The study also found that students in the modified flipped classes scored higher on the Missouri State End of Course (EOC) algebra exams than those in the traditional lecture classes. However, examination of EOC data for the previous year revealed a similar pattern in the performance of each teacher’s students. In fact, the students of the teacher whose classes outperformed the others when taught using the modified flipped format outperformed the others by an even greater margin when all classes were taught using the traditional lecture format. Based on these findings, the study concluded that the observed difference in scores could not be attributed to the use of the modified flipped format.