The effects of microlearning-supported flipped classroom on pre-service teachers’ learning performance, motivation and engagement

Flipped classroom (FC) has recently attracted researchers' interest in teacher education thanks to its potential for promoting pre-service teachers' (PTs) professional development. However, some of major issues are the lack of interactivity, disengagement, and amotivation of PTs for pre-class activities due to poor online instruction design. This explanatory sequential mixed study explores the effects of the microlearning-supported FC on PTs' learning performance for professional development, motivation, and engagement. A total of 128 PTs participated in this study from a university in Turkey. In the quantitative phase, a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design was conducted and the treatment lasted for 14 weeks. The PTs were divided into two experimental groups and one control groups using random sampling technique. In first experimental group (m-FC, n = 43), the participants learned with microlearning-supported (by using a-bit sized learning chunks outside the classroom) FC model. In the second experimental group (t-FC, n = 39), the participants learned with traditional FC model. A control group (non-FC, n = 46) was not taught using FC model and teacher-centered approach was adopted in this group. The findings indicated that FC model (in both experimental groups) increased learning performance, intrinsic motivation, emotional, and behavioral engagement compared to a group that was not used to FC. Moreover, m-FC group had better intrinsic motivation and engagement than both t-FC and non-FC groups. Semi-structured interviews showed that two major themes emerged regarding benefits and challenges of microlearning-supported FC. Most of PTs had positive perceptions that it enhances the willingness to participate in pre-class activities. The implications for teacher education, recommendations and directions for further studies were also discussed.