The effect of the flipped learning model in social studies course on the academic achievement and permanence of 5th and 7th grade students

This study aimed to determine the effect of applying the Flipped Learning Model (FLM) in Social Studies courses on students' academic achievement and learning permanence at different grade levels and to reveal the views of the experimental group about the implemented model. It also adopted a mixed approach that used quantitative and qualitative data together. The study group consisted of 99 students (40 in 5th grade and 59 in 7th grade, respectively) enrolled in a secondary school in Ankara during the 2022-2023 academic year. The quantitative dimension of the study involved the classes as randomly selected experimental and control groups. The experimental groups of 5th and 7th grades received the Social Studies courses designed by the FLM teaching model within the scheduled time intervals. However, the control groups of 5th and 7th grades received lessons with the traditional teaching approach. The study utilized academic achievement tests and semi-structured student interview forms as data collection tools. The collected study data were analyzed using the paired sample t-test and unpaired t-test through the SPSS software. The qualitative dimension of the study, on the other hand, involved the content analysis of the data collected through semi-structured student interview forms. Considering the quantitative findings, the study revealed no statistically significant difference between the 5th-grade experimental and control groups for academic achievement and permanence learning mean scores. However, the study found significant results in favor of the experimental group between the 7th-grade experimental and control groups for academic achievements and permanent learning. According to the qualitative findings of the study, however, the majority of the students at both grade levels stated that the FLM model contributed to their learning. Furthermore, while the 7th-grade students expressed that the FLM model made their learning permanent, they also suggested its widespread use in other branch courses and its application throughout the entire semester.