Description
Master’s Thesis from the year 2015 in the subject Pedagogy – Adult Education, grade: A, University of Huddersfield, course: MA Education, language: English, abstract: The action research study focuses on transforming learning within an FE College in the form of blended learning through a modified flipped classroom model of teaching and learning. The rationale was to provide future teachers with a strategy for initiating and developing a new effective approach to enhance teaching and learning through the much acclaimed flipped classroom model. Most research studies have informed us of the benefits and very few issues which have been overcome although research has never previewed the preliminary stages of real life transformation and what that entails for both teachers and students within the context of an FE college; incorporating teachers’ and students’ affordances. The aims have been scrutinized through the available literature and the outcomes were strategically focusing on the realities of how teachers and two groups of students could adopt and integrate this form of blended learning in the context of an FE college. Through qualitative triangulation analysis of data, the key thematic findings from both groups of students were negative attitudes towards the adoption practices of the flipped classroom. However, through further analysis and interpretation, the emergent results were linked to the lack of a positive classroom culture, which upholds the significance in the value of adopting and integrating a new approach to learning from the start of a school year, thus becoming more meaningful. The key findings that transpired from teachers’ perspectives were varied towards their adoption practices although through interpreting the findings the final emergent result was also linked to the lack of a positive and supportive school culture. The research study justified the significance of how vital a positive school and classroom culture was for teachers and students whilst transforming new teaching and learning practices. Whereby, new strategies to implementing and developing an alternate flipped classroom had transpired. Goodwyn et al’s report, informed teachers and researchers that there is not enough substantial research in the flipped classroom model of teaching and learning available and the importance is placed for further informative studies to take place. This paper should be recognized as not only, the primary stage in adopting the flipped classroom model of learning but should continue as a trilogy. This primary stage provided a starting strategy; the second providing a longitudinal study from beginner teachers in the alternate flipped model and thirdly through teacher experience providing a more robust version. As O’Leary (2004) had substantiated in Chapter Three; action research is a continuous cycle in teaching and learning practices.
