DOES FLIPPED CLASSROOM IMPACT THE SCIENCE ACHIEVEMENT OF STUDENTS FROM DIFFERENT SOCIOECONOMIC BACKGROUNDS?

Abstract

In the current educational landscape, various innovative teaching methods are used to enhance learning outcomes. Among them, the flipped classroom occupies a significant place due to its focus on learner engagement and independent learning. The present study, conducted in the Darbhanga district of Bihar, investigates the impact of the flipped classroom on the science achievement of secondary school students belonging to different socioeconomic backgrounds. The study adopted a pre-experimental one-shot case design. Two schools with two sections of class IX were selected conveniently, and one section from each school was randomly assigned to the flipped classroom method. A self-constructed science achievement test was administered after the intervention.

Findings revealed that students with above-average socioeconomic status scored a mean of 39, those with average socioeconomic status scored 33, and below-average students scored 26 when taught through the flipped classroom. Under the lecture method, above-average students scored 31, average students 34, and below-average students 28. A t-test comparing the above-average socioeconomic group taught through both methods yielded a t-value of 1.922, which was not significant at the 0.05 level. This indicates that the flipped classroom did not significantly improve the science achievement of above-average socioeconomic status students.

The study concludes that in the Indian context—especially in Bihar—students accustomed to teacher-centered methods face challenges in adapting to the flipped classroom model due to lack of resources, digital limitations, and low self-regulated learning habits.