The Flipped Classroom's Impact on Math Anxiety, Self-Efficacy, and Motivation at the Middle School Level

Abstract

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to discover how students experience math anxiety, self-efficacy, and motivation when learning math in the flipped classroom model at the middle school level. There is a common thread in the literature that connects math anxiety to self-efficacy and motivation and many of the studies that have been done about flipped classrooms have all focused on academic achievement. There is a gap in the literature when looking at the flipped math classroom at the middle school setting as well as relating this style of learning to these three qualities. The participants in this study were 14 eighth grade students in a Title 1 middle school in Southeastern Pennsylvania. The participants were categorized as experiencing low, average, or high levels of math anxiety, self-efficacy, and motivation through the use of a survey. This study utilized focus groups and individual interviews to determine common themes among the students’ experiences. The common themes identified through this research were videos relationship with math anxiety, increased levels of self-efficacy, the impact of the teacher-student relationship on motivation, and testing’s impact on self-efficacy. This study found that the flipped classroom model provided a sense of comfort to students since they were familiar with the material prior to the start of class. This study also found that this model supported and increased the self-efficacy of the participating students. Finally, this study found that the students reported increased levels of motivation in classes where they identified a positive teacher-student relationship.