“It’s Like a Nice Atmosphere”—Understanding Physics Students’ Experiences of a Flipped Classroom Through the Lens of Transactional Distance Theory
In this paper, physics students’ experiences of a flipped, active learning physics class are explored through the lens of transactional distance theory (TDT). Transactional distance (TD) is the psychological and communicative distance that may arise between students and their teacher in learning env...
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MDPI AG
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Education Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/15/7/921 |
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| author | Anna K. Wood |
| author_facet | Anna K. Wood |
| author_sort | Anna K. Wood |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In this paper, physics students’ experiences of a flipped, active learning physics class are explored through the lens of transactional distance theory (TDT). Transactional distance (TD) is the psychological and communicative distance that may arise between students and their teacher in learning environments such as large classes. TD has been shown to have a negative impact on students’ satisfaction, engagement, and learning outcomes, yet there is lack of research on how pedagogical approaches, such as the flipped classroom and active learning, may ameliorate the impacts of TD. In this paper, I use a qualitative methodology to gain an in-depth understanding of the ways in which a flipped class can impact the experience of transactional distance for first year physics students. Eleven students took part in semi-structured interviews about their experience of the class, from which three themes were developed: (a) creating connections; (b) stimulating engagement; and (c) supporting responsiveness. These themes are interpreted through the lens of TDT to understand the ways in which the flipped class and active learning pedagogics reduced students’ experience of TD. This gives new insights into students’ experiences of small group discussions, pre-class quizzes, and in-class ‘clicker’ questions. The implications for the pedagogical design of flipped classes will be discussed. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-65b6501a835a452bac0fa80c4260f6a6 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2227-7102 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Education Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-65b6501a835a452bac0fa80c4260f6a62025-08-20T03:07:54ZengMDPI AGEducation Sciences2227-71022025-07-0115792110.3390/educsci15070921“It’s Like a Nice Atmosphere”—Understanding Physics Students’ Experiences of a Flipped Classroom Through the Lens of Transactional Distance TheoryAnna K. Wood0School of Mathematics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, UKIn this paper, physics students’ experiences of a flipped, active learning physics class are explored through the lens of transactional distance theory (TDT). Transactional distance (TD) is the psychological and communicative distance that may arise between students and their teacher in learning environments such as large classes. TD has been shown to have a negative impact on students’ satisfaction, engagement, and learning outcomes, yet there is lack of research on how pedagogical approaches, such as the flipped classroom and active learning, may ameliorate the impacts of TD. In this paper, I use a qualitative methodology to gain an in-depth understanding of the ways in which a flipped class can impact the experience of transactional distance for first year physics students. Eleven students took part in semi-structured interviews about their experience of the class, from which three themes were developed: (a) creating connections; (b) stimulating engagement; and (c) supporting responsiveness. These themes are interpreted through the lens of TDT to understand the ways in which the flipped class and active learning pedagogics reduced students’ experience of TD. This gives new insights into students’ experiences of small group discussions, pre-class quizzes, and in-class ‘clicker’ questions. The implications for the pedagogical design of flipped classes will be discussed.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/15/7/921active learninglecturestransactional distance |
| spellingShingle | Anna K. Wood “It’s Like a Nice Atmosphere”—Understanding Physics Students’ Experiences of a Flipped Classroom Through the Lens of Transactional Distance Theory Education Sciences active learning lectures transactional distance |
| title | “It’s Like a Nice Atmosphere”—Understanding Physics Students’ Experiences of a Flipped Classroom Through the Lens of Transactional Distance Theory |
| title_full | “It’s Like a Nice Atmosphere”—Understanding Physics Students’ Experiences of a Flipped Classroom Through the Lens of Transactional Distance Theory |
| title_fullStr | “It’s Like a Nice Atmosphere”—Understanding Physics Students’ Experiences of a Flipped Classroom Through the Lens of Transactional Distance Theory |
| title_full_unstemmed | “It’s Like a Nice Atmosphere”—Understanding Physics Students’ Experiences of a Flipped Classroom Through the Lens of Transactional Distance Theory |
| title_short | “It’s Like a Nice Atmosphere”—Understanding Physics Students’ Experiences of a Flipped Classroom Through the Lens of Transactional Distance Theory |
| title_sort | it s like a nice atmosphere understanding physics students experiences of a flipped classroom through the lens of transactional distance theory |
| topic | active learning lectures transactional distance |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/15/7/921 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT annakwood itslikeaniceatmosphereunderstandingphysicsstudentsexperiencesofaflippedclassroomthroughthelensoftransactionaldistancetheory |