Flipped classroom applications in secondary science teaching

The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of the flipped classroom applications (FCA) on academic achievement, intellectual risk taking skills of seventh grade students and their views about the FCA in reflection in mirrors and absorption of light unit. For this purpose, the study was carried out with the participation of 43 seventh grade students attending a public secondary school in Kastamonu Province, Turkey in the second semester of the 2017-2018 academic year. One experimental group (21 students) and one control group (22 students) were randomly selected from school. In the research, a mixed research design was used in which qualitative and quantitative research designs were included. Pre-test post-test control group quasi-experimental model was used to investigate the effectiveness of teaching supported by FCA on students' academic achievement and intellectual risk taking skills. In addition, the students' views were taken in the experimental group about the FCA and a semi-structured interviews were conducted with the six students. While the lessons of the experimental group were taught with the activities developed in accordance with the students in the experimental group were taught with the activities designed with the flipped classroom, the lessons of the control group were taught in compliance with the 2013 Science Curriculum. As data collection tools; the Reflection in the Mirrors and the Absorption of the Light Unit Achievement Test (RMALUAT), Intellectual Risk Taking Skills (IRTS) and the students in the experimental group to learn the relevant unit topics to determine their views on the Flipped Classroom Applications Vievs Form (FCAVF) after the application form consists of two open-ended questions and Semi-Structured Views (SSV). The quantitative data obtained from the study were analyzed by using SPSS package program. The t-test was used to determine the significance of the difference between pre-test and post-test achievement test scores obtained from the experimental and control groups and the results were interpreted. As a result of the analysis, it was found that there was a significant difference in the favor of experimental group students when compared to the academic achievements of the control group in which the unit subjects were studied according to the current program, the academic achievements of the experimental group students in which the courses supported by FCA were taught. At the same time, it was found that FCA increased students' intellectual risk taking skill average score but did not make a statistically significant difference compared to the current program. The answers they gave to the FCAVF which was applied to the students in the experimental group in which the assisted instruction was applied with FCA, were calculated as percentage and frequency. In addition, content analysis of semi-structured interview data was conducted with six students, two students from lower-middle and upper levels determined according to achievement test, and students were asked about the FCA. Stated that they liked the application, increased their interest towards the lesson and their lessons were fun. It was also concluded that these activities helped students overcome their test fears. In order to increase the importance of using the FCA in science education, it is suggested to conduct research on different units of science course and it is thought that it would be useful to include the contents of this application, especially in the preparation of videos, to solve problems that have difficulty in understanding. Keywords: Flipped classroom applications, science teaching, academic achievement, intellectual risk taking, reflection in mirrors and absorption of light