EFFECT OF FLIPPED CLASSROOM STRATEGY ON UNDERGRADUATE CHEMISTRY STUDENTS’ ENGAGEMENT IN OYO STATE

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of the Flipped Classroom Strategy (FCS) on the engagement of undergraduate chemistry students in Oyo State, Nigeria, with emphasis on gender influence. A quasi-experimental design with pre-test, post-test, and control group was employed, involving 145 first-year chemistry students from Emmanuel Alayande University of Education, Oyo, and Lead City University, Ibadan. The experimental group (n = 130) received six weeks of CHM101 instruction via FCS through researcher-designed WhatsApp video lessons, while the control group (n = 15) was taught using conventional methods. Data were collected using a Chemistry Performance Test and an Engagement Questionnaire, both validated by experts (reliability coefficients: 0.865 and 0.712, respectively). Descriptive statistics and t-tests at a 0.05 significance level were used for analysis. Results showed high engagement levels among FCS students, with top-rated indicators including self-paced learning (M = 4.30), valuing subject matter (M = 4.18), and seeking additional information (M = 4.13). Gender had no significant effect on engagement (p = 0.652), indicating FCS benefits both male and female students equally. The study concludes that FCS fosters active learning, deep understanding, and equitable participation in chemistry education. It recommends among other that chemistry educators should use the Flipped Classroom Strategy (FCS) with digital literacy training and diverse online resources to improve students' comfort with virtual learning platforms, thereby maximizing self-directed learning benefits. Hence it was recommended for lecturers to use flipped classroom strategy