Congratulations to Nishelle Caudill who successfully defended her thesis titled: “Pre-service teachers’ perceptions of a flipped classroom: A study of undergraduates enrolled in an applied child development course.” (May 7, 2014)  Findings from her study will be shared at the ISTE 2014 conference in Atlanta, Georgia, June 28, 2014.

Abstract:The purpose of this study was to analyze Pre-Service Teachers’ perceptions of a flipped classroom and interpret whether these perceptions had a positive or negative effect on their disposition toward using the flipped classroom model in their future classrooms. Qualitative interviews were conducted during the fall of 2013 with three undergraduate students enrolled in a flipped EDP 370—Applied Child Development. Three interviews were conducted of the course of one semester; interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, coded, and analyzed for themes. The results of the findings suggest that students’ approach and commitment to the course influence their perceptions as to the effectiveness of the flipped classroom. Two participants stated that they would consider flipping their future classroom, while the third had the opposite response. The study provides an outline of concerns had by the participants in regards to the structure of the flipped classroom they experienced, how they would address those concerns, and an exposition on the advantages and disadvantages of the flipped classroom perceived by the participants. At the conclusion of the study, the findings are discussed in terms of the larger setting of what pre-service teachers need in order to have positive dispositions toward the flipped classroom model.