Self-determination theory and the flipped classroom: a case study of a senior secondary mathematics class

Teaching senior secondary mathematics presents a number of challenges, such asprovision of a prescribed curriculum, homework expectations and preparing studentsfor externally imposed high-stakes assessment tasks. In order to address these challenges,an increasing number of senior secondary mathematics teachers are incorporatinga flipped classroom approach into their teaching. While enactments of theapproach vary, it typically involves delegating the more routine instructional mathematicalcontent as homework videos, allowing for more targeted in-class teaching.Traditionally in the domain of tertiary teaching, it is becoming more common insecondary school settings and seems to address students’ needs for competence,autonomy and relatedness, which comprise self-determination theory (SDT). Thispaper looks at a case study undertaken with an Australian grade 12 class where theteacher utilised a flipped classroom approach to teach mathematics 2. Data werecollected through an online survey, interviews and classroom observations. The resultsshowed that SDT was an appropriate lens to analyse participants’ experiences of theapproach, with the teacher being a particularly strong influence on students’ motivationfor engaging with the approach. The study adds to the limited literature on examiningenactments of the flipped classroom in senior secondary mathematics contexts and hasimplications for practice in terms of identifying the practices and factors whichinfluence students’ motivations for engaging in mathematics classes