The Effectiveness of the Flipped Learning Approach in Improving Conceptual Understanding and Promoting Motivation to Learn Physical Sciences among Prospective Female Teachers at the College of Education

Abstract

This study aimed at identifying the effectiveness of the Flipped Learning Approach in improving conceptual understanding and promoting motivation to learn physical sciences among prospective femaleteachers. The participants were 20 prospective female-teachers who were struggling to enroll in the course of Physical Science in two disciplines; Early Childhood, and Primary Classroom Teacher, at the College of Education, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in the academic year 1439 Hijri. The study adopted a quasi-experimental design, with pretest posttest for a single group. Tools employed in the study included a Conceptual Understanding Test and a Motivation to Learn Physical Sciences Scale, which were designed by the researcher. Results of the study showed that the Flipped Learning Approach has a signifcant effect on developing the levels of students' conceptual understanding in physical sciences, but has no signifcant effect on promoting motivation to learn physical sciences. The results also indicate that there is no correlation between posttest scores of the Conceptual Understanding Test and those of the Motivation to Learn Physical Sciences Scale. The study recommends adopting the Flipped Learning Approach in designing science courses, and informing college staff members and students through workshops and courses about how to implement the Flipped Learning Approach in the teaching and learning of university courses.