Effect of flipped instruction on pre-service teachers’ performance, and challenges in learning differential calculus

Abstract

The study investigated effect of flipped instruction on pre-service teachers’ performance in differential Calculus. It further investigated the challenges pre-service teachers face in their quest to learn differential calculus. The theoretical frame work adopted in the study was the Bloom’s Taxonomy. Bloom’s taxonomy guided the researcher in preparing and administering the test items. The study utilized mixed method approach involving quasi-experimental design in which two colleges of education were randomly selected from Eastern and Greater Accra regions and assigned as college A and college B respectively. A sample of 120 pre-service teachers from the two colleges of education were randomly selected for the study. A calculus achievement test and an interview guide were used to collect data, the instruments were subjected to validity and reliability tests. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, as well as content analysis. The study found that flipped instruction aids pre-service teachers perform better in differential calculus as compared to the lecture method of teaching. The study further revealed that flipped instruction helps pre-service teachers perform better in all the aspects of the Bloom Taxonomy. The challenges faced by pre-service teachers in learning differential calculus, as identified by the study, included ineffective teaching approaches adopted by college tutors, inadequate exercises to consolidate learning, and ineffective use of teaching and learning materials.