Enhancing nursing students’ academic performance through the flipped classroom approach: Knowledge and perception assessment

The flipped classroom model represents an innovative pedagogical approach that departs from traditional lectures, promoting active learning while integrating clinical experiences within the classroom. Its adoption has gained momentum in health professional education. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the flipped classroom on nursing students' knowledge and perceptions across various academic levels within a bachelor's program in nursing. A one-group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design was employed to achieve the study's objectives. The research was conducted at a private medical college in the eastern region of Saudi Arabia, specifically in Dammam. A total of 91 bachelor nursing students from different academic levels participated in the study. Data collection involved pre/post-tests to gauge students' knowledge and assess the efficacy of the flipped classroom. Additionally, a survey was administered post-intervention to gauge students' perceptions about the flipped classroom educational strategy. The findings revealed a significant enhancement in students' knowledge following the implementation of the flipped classroom approach. Notably, this methodology was particularly effective for students at higher academic levels. Furthermore, lower academic level students expressed heightened satisfaction compared to higher level students concerning activities such as watching recorded videos, reviewing handouts provided beforehand, and note-taking, all of which facilitated self-directed learning and contributed substantially to their educational experience. The utilization of the flipped classroom model yielded positive outcomes, empowered nursing students to engage in independent study, and fostered overall knowledge acquisition.