Is the flipped classroom better than traditional teaching?

On average a little, in secondary and college classes, according to a meta-analysis of 114 studies. But a randomized trial found gains only in one subject, no lasting effect, and a wider achievement gap. The details of how it's done matter more than the label.

What makes a flipped class work?

In the meta-analysis, keeping full class time and adding quizzes were linked with better results. Short videos with a task, a quick check at the start of class, and practice with the teacher there are the common thread.

How do I make the videos?

Keep them short, a few minutes per idea, and show your own worked examples with a voice-over. Give students a task while watching, such as copying two examples or writing one question, and check it at the start of class. Reuse good videos from year to year.

Should elementary teachers flip?

There's little research on flipping in elementary grades. An in-class flip, with a short video at a station, is the safer version if you want to try it.

Flipped classroom vs traditional teaching: what the research says

3 sourcesChecked October 2026

A small edge for flipping on average, with important cautions. A meta-analysis of 114 studies in secondary schools and colleges found a small positive effect on learning, larger when class time wasn't cut and quizzes were added, and no effect on satisfaction. A randomized trial at a US military academy found short-term gains in math only, none in economics, no lasting effect, and a wider gap between higher- and lower-achieving students. In K–12, a review found effects neutral to positive. Flipping is worth trying for older students if class time becomes practice with feedback.

Flipped classroom compared with Traditional classroom
Question	Flipped classroom	Traditional classroom
Evidence rating in the Library	Mixed Practice card	No card yet
Where new material is met	Before class, usually a short video or reading.	In class, from the teacher.
What class time is for	Practice, problem solving, discussion, help.	Explanation, with some practice; more practice at home.
Where students get stuck	In class, with the teacher there.	Often at home, alone.
Depends on	Students doing the pre-class work; access to devices and time at home (or an in-class viewing option).	Students completing homework practice on their own.
Evidence	Small positive average effect in secondary and college studies; mixed results in a randomized trial; little evidence for elementary grades.	The comparison condition in those studies.
Equity risk	A randomized trial found the gap widened; watch students who struggle with pre-class work.	Homework practice also depends on home support.

The studies that bear on the choice

van Alten et al. (2019)Meta-analysisFavors flipped classroom
Flipping the classroom had a small positive effect on learning outcomes and no effect on students' satisfaction, with large differences between studies. Flipped classes did better when face-to-face class time wasn't cut, and when quizzes were added.
Sample 114 studies comparing flipped and non-flipped classes in secondary and postsecondary educationWho School and collegeRead it at the source (opens in a new tab)
Setren et al. (2021)Randomized trial in schoolsDepends
A flipped classroom produced short-term gains in math and no effect in economics. Gains went mainly to higher-achieving students, widening the achievement gap, and there were no long-term average effects on learning, though the wider gap persisted. The authors advise caution.
Sample Students at the US Military Academy at West PointWho College studentsRead it at the source (opens in a new tab)
Lo & Hew (2017)Review (adds context, doesn't move the rating)Depends
In K–12 studies, flipping had a neutral or positive effect on achievement compared with traditional classes, and students' attitudes were mixed. The review sorts the challenges of flipping into student, teacher and practical ones and proposes ten guidelines for addressing them.
Sample 15 journal articles on K–12 flipped classroomsWho School-age childrenRead it at the source (opens in a new tab)

What the research found

David van Alten and colleagues' meta-analysis of 114 studies comparing flipped and non-flipped classes, in secondary and postsecondary education, found a small positive effect on learning and no effect on satisfaction. Flipped classes did better when face-to-face time wasn't reduced and when quizzes were added.

Elizabeth Setren and colleagues ran a randomized trial at West Point. Flipping produced short-term gains in math and none in economics, no long-term average effects, and a wider achievement gap, because the gains went mainly to higher-achieving students. Chung Kwan Lo and Khe Foon Hew's review of 15 K–12 studies found effects on achievement that were neutral or positive, and mixed student attitudes.

What seems to matter

The features linked with better results, keeping class time and adding quizzes, are about what happens in class: more practice with feedback and more retrieval. That suggests the benefit of flipping comes mainly from how it changes class time.

A traditional class can capture much of that too: shorter explanations, more guided practice in class, and frequent low-stakes quizzes. See explicit instruction and retrieval practice.

A week in each

Traditional: the teacher explains a new algebra skill for twenty minutes, students try a few problems, and the rest is homework. Students who get stuck at home are stuck until the next day, and the teacher sees the errors only when homework comes in.

Flipped: students watch a six-minute video at home and copy two worked examples. Class opens with a three-question quiz; those who need it get a short reteach while the rest start practice. The teacher spends the period answering questions while students work.

The flipped version moves the explanation out and the struggle in. It only helps if students actually do the pre-class work, which is why an in-class viewing option and a start-of-class check matter so much, and why the West Point trial's widened gap is a warning to watch who keeps up.

How to decide

Try flipping with secondary students, for topics with a clear explanation that works on video, if you'll use the freed time for practice and feedback.
Keep it traditional for younger students, for brand-new difficult ideas, or where many students can't do pre-class work at home.
Either way, open class with a short quiz and spend most of class on practice with you there to help.

Tools: the classroom quiz show maker for start-of-class checks and the centers rotation board for an in-class flip with a video station.

Questions teachers ask

Is the flipped classroom better than traditional teaching?: On average a little, in secondary and college classes, according to a meta-analysis of 114 studies. But a randomized trial found gains only in one subject, no lasting effect, and a wider achievement gap. The details of how it's done matter more than the label.
What makes a flipped class work?: In the meta-analysis, keeping full class time and adding quizzes were linked with better results. Short videos with a task, a quick check at the start of class, and practice with the teacher there are the common thread.
How do I make the videos?: Keep them short, a few minutes per idea, and show your own worked examples with a voice-over. Give students a task while watching, such as copying two examples or writing one question, and check it at the start of class. Reuse good videos from year to year.
Should elementary teachers flip?: There's little research on flipping in elementary grades. An in-class flip, with a short video at a station, is the safer version if you want to try it.

Cite this page

Peabody Teach. (2026, October 29). Flipped classroom vs traditional teaching: what the research says. https://teach.peabody.kids/library/compare/flipped-classroom-vs-traditional

Written by Peabody Teach from the sources above, read at the source. Something wrong? Tell us.