Tipping the Scale: bringing the Disequilibrium to the Passive Learning Phenomenon

Abstract

The passive learning phenomenon, common in teacher-centred classrooms, persists in classrooms globally despite continuous calls for learner-centred pedagogies. The educational landscape is in dire need of a shift to not only promote learner-centredness but also to move towards autonomy-supportive pedagogical approaches. This paper aims to elucidate and explore the potential of the ‘Altered Flipped Classroom Pedagogy’, a context-specific active learning intervention, to enhance learner engagement and participation in an everyday traditional high school classroom. It originates from Bergman and Sams’ seminal work on the topic. It was, however, ‘altered’ to meet the needs of the South African context, where only an estimated 20,35% of the public high schools in the country have access to technology for teaching and learning purposes. The research is situated within Self-Determination Theory, as the design of the intervention addresses learners’ needs for autonomy, relatedness and competence. Using volunteer sampling, high school teachers self-selected to attend an online training session and received a training manual before implementing the intervention. The primary method of data collection was semi-structured interviews. Method triangulation was achieved through merging three alternative qualitative methods following the thematic analysis process. The primary findings demonstrate the potential of the AFCP to promote learner engagement, participation, and motivation. Further findings suggest that learners experienced greater autonomy and displayed more self-determined behaviors. When learners become more autonomous, they grow their ability to think independently, solve problems and take greater ownership of their learning.