The Flipped Classroom and its Impact on Student Engagement and Academic Performance in a Culinary Arts, Career and Technical Education Program

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to gather evidence from a CTE culinary arts program to determine if students perform better academically and are more engaged in the flipped classroom using digital technology, than the traditional classroom. The study included 24 participants in a post-secondary, CTE culinary arts program who were divided into two groups of 12: a traditional, teacher-centered group and a flipped, student-centered group. Utilizing action-based research, surveys, journals, and an engagement matrix were created and used. Although not statistically significant, student grades in the flipped classroom were nearly 4% higher than those in the traditional classroom and were consistently higher throughout the semester. This study helps establish a foundation of evidence that student engagement and academic success improve in the flipped classroom for culinary arts CTE students