https://doi.org/10.1177/1932202X20919357
Journal of Advanced Academics
1–19
© The Author(s) 2020
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DOI: 10.1177/1932202X20919357
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Article
Flipping a Classroom for
Academically Talented
Students
Erin S. Gelgoot
1
, Paul F. Bulakowski
2
,
and Frank C. Worrell
1
Abstract
In flipped classrooms, students learn course content by watching flipped lessons
(videos) outside of class time. During class, instructors guide learning by answering
questions, facilitating projects, and fostering relationships with students. Although
flipped classrooms are gaining popularity in secondary school settings, most research
is performed with college-age samples. In this study, we compared two sections
of a summer-based cognitive neuroscience course for academically talented youth:
a flipped class and a class with traditional face-to-face instruction. Measures of
academic achievement did not differ between the classes. The flipped class spent
more time watching and re-watching lessons than the traditional class spent reading
texts. Students rated organization, clarity, and enjoyment significantly higher in the
traditional class. Despite these findings, the majority of students in both classes
requested flipped lessons in the future. These results can inform how to flip
classrooms for highly motivated secondary school students.
Keywords
flipped classroom, teaching/learning strategies, educational technology, secondary
instruction, academic talent
On average, youth aged 8 to 18 in the United States are exposed to 7 hours and 50
minutes of media each day (Roberts & Foehr, 2008). Youth devote more time to con-
suming media and using technology than to any other waking activity. Teachers are
using technology to enrich students’ learning experiences inside and outside of the
classroom. In 2012, high school chemistry teachers, Bergmann and Sams, popularized
1
University of California, Berkeley, USA
2
Mind My Education, Sacramento, USA
Corresponding Author:
Erin S. Gelgoot, University of California, Berkeley, 2121 Berkeley Way West, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA.
Email: erin.gelgoot@berkeley.edu
919357JOA XX X 10.1177/1932202X20919357Journal of Advanced AcademicsGelgoot et al.
research-article 2020