The effects of cooperative learning applied in flipped classroom on academic achievement and psychosocial variables

This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of cooperative learning method in flipped classroom environments on fourth grade students' academic achievement levels in social studies course, individual motivations, cooperative learning motivations, cohesion and peer relations. Experimental design model of the research study is a pre-test post-test control group design which is one of the quasi experimental designs. 100 students from Karaman city in Turkey, participated in the study. Students divided into there experimental groups and one control group without random assignment. All students in the study group enrolled in schools from Karaman region. Social studies academic achievement test, motivation scale, cooperative learning motivation scale, cohesion scale and peer relations scale used in for data collection procedures. Study took place for 16 weeks in the first semester of 2018-2019 education year. Experimental group conditions of the study are: flipped classroom (D1), cooperative learning in flipped classroom environment (D2) and cooperative learning (D3). Control group condition was 2018 curriculum for social studies lesson (K). Findings showed that experimental groups outperformed control group in academic achievement. There is no significant difference between experimental conditions for academic achievement. Students in experimental conditions showed significant gains in learning motivation. All experimental groups had significantly higher motivation levels in posttests. It was found that instruction methods of experimental groups did not make a difference in peer relations sub-dimension between pretests and posttests. There were significant differences between before and after the experiment for D2 group in social learning sub-dimension, D3 group in peer evaluation and correction sub-dimension, D2 and D3 groups in peer co-work sub-dimension and D2, D3 groups in cognitive deepening. In terms of cohesion levels, there was no significant difference in social cohesion sub-dimension within and between groups. In the task cohesion sub-dimension there was a significant difference for group D2. When the motivation levels of cooperative learning were examined, it was found that there was a significant difference between the D2 and D3 groups in both their motivation to help and motivation to encourage levels. As a result of the study, various suggestions have been made regarding the use of flipped classrooms and cooperative learning method both separately and together in primary schools.