www.ijird.com June, 2023 Vol 12 Issue 6 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INNOVATIVE RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT DOI No. : 10.24940/ijird/2023/v12/i6/JUN23022 Page 53 The Effectiveness of Flipped Classroom in Improving Pre-service Science Teachers’ Performance in Kinetic Molecular Theory of Matter 1. Introduction Educational needs are rapidly changing in a rapidly advancing scientific world. Advancements in technology and the availability of information require new pedagogical approaches to match the lifelong learning demands for pre-service teachers with the background of diversifying interests and ways of learning to foster easy access to education, especially in science education. For this reason, contemporary science teachers are opting for student-centred instructional strategies, which focus on creating connections with students' interests and the things they learn in school, with the ultimate goal of making the educational process more meaningful to students. One of the best ways to do this is by framing lessons considering their interests. This ultimately encourages them to engage more with the learning material and learn better. Instructional strategies are techniques that educators use to ensure that students learn academic content. The goal of instructional strategies is to produce independent learners who are able to apply what is learned and expand upon it as necessary (Hill & Jordan, 2015). In classroom instruction, teachers use several strategies to drive home lesson content. Some strategies include collaborative relationships, lecture (teacher-centred), hands-on activities, project-based learning, peer-led learning, flipped learning (student-centred) and differentiated learning. Instructional decisions made by good science teachers help light the way for their students along both known and unknown channels to understanding. The use of the conventional lecture model of instruction has been the ageless norm. In this approach, the teacher explains the content of every lesson as the sole source of knowledge in the delivery of every lesson. Students are often passive participants in the conventional lecture class, and teaching often involves the introductory aspects of the concept. The students' contributions are few; however, the teachers assign the difficult aspects of the concepts to the students to be done at home as homework. Class activities are mostly directed and dependent on the teacher's opinion, as s/he coordinates and controls the flow and direction of the entire lesson (Dzakpasu & Adjartey, 2020). ISSN 2278 – 0211 (Online) George Agbenyega Nyagblormase Tutor, Department of Science Education, Kibi College of Education, Ghana Boniface Yaayin Lecturer, Department of Chemistry Education, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana Ruby Hanson Professor, Department of Chemistry Education, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana Abstract: This study investigated the effectiveness of flipped classrooms in improving pre-service science teachers' performance in kinetic molecular theory of matter. It was carried out at Kibi Presbyterian College of Education in the South Abuakwa Municipality of the Eastern Region of Ghana. A classroom action research design was used for this study. The sample involved 72 Elective Chemistry students in level 200, whose other major subject areas were Mathematics and ICT. The pre-service science teachers in an intact class were chosen using a purposive sampling technique of the non- probability sampling procedure. The study examined the pre-existing knowledge of the students on kinetic molecular theory of matter using a Kinetic Molecular Theory Diagnostic Test. The study further examined the performance of the students after four weeks of intervention on kinetic molecular theory of matter. A post-intervention test (Kinetic Molecular Theory Performance Test) was conducted using a modified version of the diagnostic test. A one-sample t- test conducted showed a significant performance of the students in kinetic molecular theory of matter. The study recommends that tutors at Kibi Presbyterian College of Education should flip their classes to engage learners in more challenging and practical activities during in-class periods. Keywords: Pre-existing knowledge, flipped classroom, conventional classroom, colleges of education