Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students’ Perceptions of the Flipped Classroom Strategy in an Undergraduate Education Course

Amal Al-Ibrahim

doi:10.12973/eu-jer.8.1.325

Abstract

<p style="text-align:justify">This study aims to evaluate the academic outcomes of the flipped classroom approach in the teaching of students who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH). Furthermore, it aims to activate the role of the teacher through encouraging both teachers and students to engage in active learning styles, while acknowledging individual differences. Participants consisted of 12 female undergraduates with hearing disabilities in a 251 CI course (applications of ICT in teaching and learning) at the College of Education, King Saud University. The study was applied throughout a semester on the contents of the course. The content material and pre-class assigned work (e.g. instructional videos and tasks) were delivered through Blackboard (learning management system), while active learning activities were carried out in class. Using mixed methods, students’ perceptions of their new learning environment were explored through a post-term questionnaire distributed at the end of the semester, in addition to writing a reflective report. Furthermore, participants were requested to write a reflective journal at the end of each lecture. Results indicated the effectiveness of the flipped classroom strategy for students. Moreover, the data indicate a positive impact on students' content learning and improved skills (e.g. collaboration and interaction). The content material which was developed for the specific course (251 CI) could be utilized for the remaining students enrolled in this course. The researcher recommends using the flipped classroom teaching strategy for courses in higher education, as the methodology can be extended and implemented through following a similar framework applied in this study.</p>

Highlights

The interest in flipped classroom approaches has risen exponentially in the past decade as educators are constantly exploring new strategies and learning styles to improve learning experiences and engage students in the classroom
This study aims to evaluate the academic outcomes of the flipped classroom approach in the teaching of students who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH)
The students were requested to write a reflective journal after each lecture. 78 journals were received from students which considered their new learning experiences of that specific semester

Summary

Introduction

The interest in flipped classroom approaches has risen exponentially in the past decade as educators are constantly exploring new strategies and learning styles to improve learning experiences and engage students in the classroom. The ‘flipped’ or ‘inverted’ classroom strategy moves the traditional lecture out of class time through the use of computer and web-based technologies (e.g. video-recorded lectures available online or on CD/DVD) to teach learners the key concepts of a particular topic in advance as homework. These lectures are replaced in class by a set of interactive problem-solving activities designed to induce active learning thereby prompting students to apply and further comprehend the learned concepts. The flipped classroom strategy employs both processes by teaching the content material prior to the classroom interaction while providing in-class practice through creating a collaborative learning environment, thereby meeting these two learning objectives

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion