Examination of the effects of flipped classroom learning model practice in geometry teaching

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of using the flipped classroom model in 4th grade geometry teaching on students' geometric thinking levels, attitudes towards the course, and academic achievement. In addition, students' views on the flipped classroom model were examined. The study was done in the second half of the 2021-2022 academic year. The study was carried out with a mixed method design. The study was carried out with 4th grade students in a primary school affiliated to the Ministry of National Education in the province of Bitlis in the Eastern Anatolia Region. In this context, 42 primary school students participated in the study, 21 of which were in the experimental group and 21 in the control group. In the study, the learning outcomes of the geometry learning field were taught with the flipped classroom model to the experimental group, and the control group was taught with the activities in the mathematics textbook. The duration of the study was 5 weeks. Quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques were used together in the study. The quantitative data of the study were collected using the Three-Dimensional Reasoning Test, the Attitude Towards Mathematics Activities Scale and the Academic Achievement Test, while the qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interview questions and math diaries. Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test and Mann-Whitney U test, which are non-parametric tests, were used for no-normally distributed data, and Independent Sample t-Test was performed for data with normal distribution. Qualitative data were analysed using content analysis. At the end of the study, a significant difference was found in favor of the experimental group in the post-test scores of the Three-Dimensional Reasoning Test. While there was a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores of the students in the experimental group regarding attitude towards mathematics activities, there was no significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores of the students in the control group in terms of attitude towards mathematics activities. In addition, it was determined that there was no difference between the academic achievement scores of the experimental and control group students. It was observed that students' positive opinions on the flipped classroom model were about activities, fun classroom environment, being able to watch the videos whenever they want, and preparation for the exams. However, the negative opinions of the students on the flipped classroom model were found to be about technical problems, group work and not being able to ask questions while watching the videos. In addition, the students stated that they wanted to learn the lessons from the teacher.