Effectiveness of the flipped classroom versus the traditional teaching method in enhancing learning among undergraduate medical students

Background: The flipped classroom is a form of interactive teaching strategy in which traditional learning is reversed by delivering core content outside the classroom and moving activities into the classroom. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness and medical students’ perception of flipped classroom. Methods: This quasi-experimental study included 100 first-year medical students who were divided into four groups (A, B, C, D), with 25 students in each group. Groups A and C received didactic lectures, while groups B and D participated in flipped classroom. Thereafter, there was a crossover for ethical purposes. All students took multiple-choice pre-tests and post-tests, and there was also a retention test two weeks after the flipped classroom sessions. Students were further divided based on their pre-test scores into two categories: the <50% and the ≥50% category. Wilcoxon and Mann-Whitney tests were used to analyse the data for statistical significance. Student perceptions were collected by Google questionnaire. Results: The result showed a significant improvement in the post-test marks for both the teaching learning methods. However, the flipped classroom groups outperformed the didactic groups, with mean post-test scores of 82.2 (10.8) and 84.2 (10.3) for the <50% and ≥50% groups, respectively, compared to 63.2 (9.4) and 72.4 (14.9) for the traditional groups, with a P <0.001. Knowledge retention was also notably better in the flipped classroom groups. The students' feedback supported flipped classroom method. Conclusion: The flipped classroom boosts students’ performance and encourages active participation and higher order thinking in them. It can be adopted to make the MBBS students self-directed and lifelong learners.