Student perception and Acceptance of Flipped class room and traditional teaching methods: A comparative study

Background: Traditional lecture-based teaching in medical education is often associated with passive learning and limited student engagement. The flipped classroom, an active learning strategy, has been proposed as an alternative to enhance learning outcomes and student satisfaction. Evidence regarding its effectiveness in undergraduate medical education, particularly in resource-constrained settings, remains limited paper

Objectives: To compare the effectiveness of the flipped classroom approach with traditional teaching methods in undergraduate medical education and to evaluate student perceptions, acceptability, and feasibility of the flipped classroom model.

Methods: This quasi-experimental comparative study was conducted among 100 undergraduate medical students in the Department of Physiology at a government medical college. Participants were allocated into a flipped classroom group (n = 50) and a traditional teaching group (n = 50). Both groups were taught the same topic by the same faculty member. Learning outcomes were assessed using a validated post-test consisting of 20 multiple-choice questions. Student perceptions were evaluated using a validated five-point Likert scale questionnaire assessing engagement, conceptual clarity, self-directed learning, faculty interaction, and overall satisfaction. Data were analyzed using the independent Student’s t-test, with p< 0.05 considered statistically significant.

Results: Baseline characteristics were comparable between the two groups (p> 0.05). The flipped classroom group demonstrated significantly higher post-test scores compared to the traditional teaching group (p< 0.001). Student perception scores were also significantly higher in the flipped classroom group across all domains, including class engagement, conceptual clarity, encouragement of self-directed learning, interaction with faculty, and overall satisfaction (p< 0.001).

Conclusion: The flipped classroom approach was more effective than traditional lecture-based teaching in improving academic performance and was better received by undergraduate medical students. Incorporation of flipped classroom strategies may enhance active learning, promote self-directed learning, and improve overall educational outcomes in undergraduate medical curricula