Do Physical Therapy Students Perform Better with Flipped Classroom Learning Versus Traditional Lecture? Systematic Review.
Purpose/Hypothesis:
Flipped classroom learning is becoming a popular alternative to traditional lecture in higher education.1 The flipped classroom consists of students learning the basic curriculum material before class and using in-class time to participate in active learning, case studies, and group activities.4 The aim of this systematic review is to determine whether traditional lecture learning or flipped classroom learning is more beneficial to student outcomes in doctor of physical therapy (DPT) programs. To date, we were unable to locate any current systematic reviews comparing these learning styles in DPT programs.
Number of Subjects: NA
Materials and Methods:
A search was conducted through all available Southwest Baptist University databases. Search terms included: (flipped classroom) OR (inverted classroom) OR (flipped learning) OR (inverted learning) OR (blended learning) OR (active learning) OR (group learning) AND (academic achievement) OR (academic performance) OR (academic success) or grades OR gpa AND (traditional lecture) OR lecture OR (traditional learning) for words found in major subject headings. Search results were then refined by the previous 10 years, written in English, and found in peer reviewed journal publications. Fifty-one original studies were included directly from this search. An additional 18 studies were included from other sources including the American Physical Therapy Education journal. Researchers screened studies for topics addressing the effectiveness of the flipped classroom versus traditional lecture specifically in DPT programs. Five final studies were chosen that fit the criteria. Studies were screened using the Downs and Black scoring scale. Quality analysis scores were all between 24 and 26.
Results:
A total of 69 records were initially screened that met the inclusion criteria with a total of five chosen for final review. All five studies used exam scores to determine student academic performance. Two studies included grade point average as an additional outcome measure.
Conclusions: The results of this systematic review demonstrate that the complete flipped classroom learning method improved academic success in DPT students. Limitations in the studies included a focus of participation of only physical therapy students and lack of accountability of students’ learning.
Clinical Relevance:
These studies suggest that flipped classroom learning is beneficial to academic success and should be considered in implementing into DPT programs. While use of flipped classroom learning should be considered, more research is needed on how to effectively implement this method of learning.