Flipped classroom evaluation and blended learning potential: a case study of engagement and inclusion in quantitative education

Abstract While Flipped Classroom and Blended Learning approaches show potential for promoting inclusion and engagement, current limitations in how Flipped Classroom serves diverse student populations highlight the need for empirical evaluation of Flipped Classroom effectiveness in serving diverse learners in quantitative disciplines. Through an undergraduate social statistics course, we assess Flipped Classroom's impact on student engagement and inclusivity and identify how Blended Learning design elements could enhance learning experiences for diverse student populations. This research contributes to current debates on effective post-pandemic pedagogy in applied science disciplines characterized by quantitative methods and sequential skill development. The study employs a mixed-methods approach, collecting data through Likert-scale surveys administered to students in an undergraduate social statistics course across Fall 2023 and Fall 2024 (n = 35), complemented by focus groups for in-depth qualitative insights. Data analysis utilized R statistical software (version 4.4.1) with the Likert package (version 1.3.5) to generate visualizations of response distributions, enabling identification of patterns across cognitive and affective dimensions of student engagement. Findings reveal that while Flipped Classroom provides a foundation for learning, it presents significant limitations in fostering student autonomy and accommodating diverse learning preferences, challenges that have been intensified in post-pandemic educational contexts. Our empirical evidence demonstrates that inclusion challenges directly correlate with engagement limitations, validating the inclusion-engagement interconnection proposed in our theoretical framework. Based on these Flipped Classroom evaluation insights, the study identifies how strategically designed Blended Learning approaches could better address heterogeneous learning needs through enhanced interaction opportunities, material diversification, and progressive scaffolding approaches.