The Impact of Flipped Instruction on Middle School Mathematics Achievement

The purpose of this causal comparative quantitative research study was to examine the effectiveness of flipped instruction on middle school mathematics achievement. The effectiveness of the flipped classroom in closing the existing achievement gap among students of various ethnic sub populations, socio economic statuses, and within pre AP mathematics classes was investigated in this study. Propensity score matching was used to match students taught by the same teacher within control and treatment groups using 1:1 nearest neighbor matching with a caliper of 0.25 SD. The matched student data were analyzed using multilevel modeling. The results indicated that no significant differences existed between the STAAR Mathematics scale scores of African American, Hispanic, White, economically disadvantaged, non economically disadvantaged, and pre AP mathematics students in flipped or traditional classrooms. Time is a valuable resource, and strategies are needed to increase learning and teaching time. Educational leaders can impact student achievement through the selection and implementation of effective instructional strategies (Onorato, 2013) Flipped instruction, or the flipped classroom, is an instructional approach that allows educators to "radically rethink how they use class time" (Tucker, 2012, p. 82) It is gaining momentum and attention in the learning community and could be selected by educational leaders to positively influence student achievement. The flipped classroom essentially 'flips' what is traditionally done in class and what is traditionally done as homework. The flipped classroom is an "inverted approach in which the students' homework is to view a recording of the lecture, and class time is used for active problem solving activities with instructor guidance" (DeMaio Oakes, 2014, p. 340) In the traditional mathematics classroom, students listen to the instructional lecture during class time and practice mathematics problems in the time remaining at school and finish at home. In contrast, in the flipped mathematics classroom, students view instructional lecture videos at home and practice mathematics problems during class time. The flipped classroom could offer a solution for teachers and administrators who want to maximize the use of class time to increase student achievement (DeMaio Oakes, 2014) In the flipped classroom "students learn by doing, and the doing is happening within a hand raise of the teacher. Students are no longer at home in isolation and unsupported while they do the difficult work of learning" (Fulton, 2012, p. 22) When students watch lecture videos prepared by their teacher outside of class time, they are prepared to engage in meaningful practice during class. This also allows the teacher to differentiate for students and work with individual students or small groups each day. Differentiated instruction points to "achievement gains on standardized tests, including mathematics assessments" (Chamberlin Powers, 2010, p. 116) 1 Mathematics Facilitator, Mesquite Independent School District. amandamartin831@gmail.com 2 Assistant Professor, Master's Degree and Principal Preparation Program Coordinator, Texas A M University Commerce, Department of Educational Leadership, USA. Melissa.Arrambide@tamuc.edu, 214 405 5619 3 Assistant Professor, Interim Department Head, Texas A M University Commerce, Department of Educational Leadership, USA. Chuck.Holt@tamuc.edu, 903 353 4112 Martin, Arrambide Holt 99 Teachers can engage students in learning activities tailored to their needs and "most importantly, all aspects of instruction can be rethought to best maximize the scarcest learning resource time" (Tucker, 2012, p. 82) Time for practice and solving problems is valuable, and using technology maximizes learning time in the flipped classroom.  The intent of the causal comparative quantitative study was to identify whether the flipped instructional strategy was an effective approach to increase mathematics achievement for middle school students. Closing the achievement gap among ethnic sub populations is a goal for many academic programs (Chamberlin Powers, 2010) African American and Hispanic students are expected to exemplify success on state assessments at the same level as their White peers, and an instructional approach must be found to close the achievement gap. Mathematics achievement trends "suggest that the gap between some minority and White students persists and may even be widening" (Bol Berry, 2005, p. 33) Student achievement is paramount, and educational leaders seek effective instructional strategies to employ in the learning environment to close the achievement gap among students of various ethnic sub populations. In addition, studies reveal that economically disadvantaged students typically perform below their mainstream counterparts and "there is a considerable gap in test performance between students from poor families and those from non poor families" (Flores, 2007, p. 30) Teachers and administrators need instructional approaches that positively impact student achievement and creatively use valuable instructional time. Statement of the Problem The accountability system in Texas is rigorous and holds districts, administrators, teachers, and students to high standards. Students in the state of Texas are evaluated annually for performance on the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) School districts in Texas must ensure that all students learn required content and must look carefully at achievement gaps between students of various ethnicities and socio economic statuses (Texas Education Agency, 2010) In the state of Texas, 79% of students in all grades met expectations on the 2013 State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) Mathematics assessment. However, an achievement gap exists between ethnic sub populations. White students outperform their African American and Hispanic peers. In addition, students who are economically disadvantaged perform slightly lower than non economically disadvantaged peers. Efforts must be made to close the achievement gap. Teachers are looking for innovative ways "to instruct technology age students, administrators are seeking new ways to lead teachers in an age of increasingly uncertain resource allocations, and district officers are looking for new ways to train instructional leaders for the 21st century" (Smith Addison, 2013, p. 135) As new instructional strategies are needed to close the achievement gap and engage students, flipped instruction was examined.  The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the effects of the flipped classroom on middle school mathematics achievement when compared to the traditional classroom. Another aim was to determine the effectiveness of the flipped classroom as an instructional approach in closing the existing achievement gap among identified student groups, including African American, Hispanic, White, and economically disadvantaged and noneconomically disadvantaged. The effectiveness of the flipped classroom in the instruction of students within pre AP classrooms was also examined. To measure student achievement, scale scores from the STAAR Grade 8 Mathematics and STAAR Grade 7 Mathematics, used as a covariate, were reported, collected, and analyzed. Flipped instruction is a new instructional strategy used in the classroom with little research regarding its effectiveness. The results of the study can inform educational leaders as they choose effective instructional strategies to implement in the learning environment.