Research on the Flipped Classroom + Learning Community Approach and Its Effectiveness Evaluation—Taking College German Teaching as a Case Study

Abstract

The evolution of theoretical research on flipped classrooms has ushered in the 2.0 era, in which the inaugural iteration, narrowly focused on process inversion, has proven inadequate in fostering enhanced interaction within flipped classrooms. This shortcoming stems from its disregard for nurturing an efficacious collaborative environment, which has emerged as a pivotal roadblock impeding the sustainable development of the flipped classroom concept. To confront this challenge, this paper advocates for the seamless integration of flipped classrooms with learning communities, underscoring the essence of knowledge construction theory and the imperative of creating a collaborative environment. Furthermore, it introduces the groundbreaking “Tai Chi Pillar” flipped classroom + learning community model and meticulously scrutinizes its effectiveness in the context of college German courses through a case study lens, examining both student learning performance and perception development. A comparative analysis with the standalone flipped classroom model reveals that the proposed model boosts academic performance for 72.6% of students and notably enhances perception development for 72% of learners, albeit with limited success among underperforming students. This underscores the model’s strengths while also highlighting the necessity for continued research and improvement. This study serves as a reference point for sustainable Flipped Classroom 2.0 research and points to future directions for investigation.