Knowledge acquisition and student perceptions of three teaching methods: a randomized trial of live, flipped, and interactive flipped classrooms.

backgroundTraditional lecture-based learning has been the cornerstone of dental education; however, active learning strategies such as flipped classrooms are gaining popularity for their potential to enhance student engagement and performance. This study evaluated the effectiveness of three teaching methods-traditional live lectures, flipped video classrooms, and interactive flipped classrooms-on improving academic performance and student perceptions among fourth-year dental students.

methodsThis study employed a stratified randomization design involving 156 fourth-year dental students using a single lecture in an undergraduate orthodontics course. The students were first grouped into four categories based on their Grade Point Average (GPA): Excellent, Very Good, Good, and Satisfactory. From these groups, students were randomly drawn and placed into one of three intervention groups: live lecture, flipped classroom with video lectures, and flipped classroom with interactive video lectures. Pre- and post-intervention assessments evaluated knowledge improvement, while objective structured assessments measured academic performance. Student perceptions were gauged using validated Likert-scale questionnaires. Paired t-tests assessed within-group differences, and ANOVA compared effectiveness across teaching methods. Pearson's correlation analysis examined the relationship between academic performance and GPA of the students.

resultsAll three teaching methods showed significant improvements in post-intervention scores (p < 0.001). The Live Lecture Group had the greatest mean improvement (27.69), followed by the Flipped Video Lecture Group (27.30) and the Flipped Interactive Lecture Group (27.11). However, ANOVA revealed no statistically significant differences between the groups (F (2, 153) = 0.007, p = 0.993). Female students performed better in the live lecture setting (32.60 ± 25.08) compared to males (23.79 ± 21.44). Students with lower GPAs benefited most from the interactive flipped classroom, Pearson's correlation indicated a strong positive association between GPA and post-intervention scores (r = 0.708, p < 0.001). Student satisfaction was highest in the interactive flipped classroom, with 97.7% rating the experience as "Excellent" or "Very Good."

conclusionsAll three teaching methods led to significant improvement in post-test scores. While students reported higher engagement and satisfaction in flipped and interactive flipped lectures, the live lecture method was also effective for knowledge retention. These findings highlight the importance of tailoring educational strategies to diverse student needs in dental education. Educators should consider a blended model that integrates flipped and traditional strategies selectively, balancing feasibility with student needs, as developing multiple formats can be time-intensive with only modest differences in outcomes. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.