DIGEST - Volume 9, Issue 2

5 TPC Digest Read full article and references: Jorgensen, M. F., & Schweinle, W. E. (2018). The Research Identity Scale: Psychometric analyses and scale refinement. The Professional Counselor , 8 , 21–28. doi: 10.15241/mfj.8.1.21 F lipped learning is an innovative teaching approach in which students view pre-recorded video lectures outside of class, then engage in activities applying course concepts during class. By removing lecture from face-to-face class time, instructors free up time in class for students to explore and apply course content. Flipped learning is a particularly useful approach in counselor education, given the need for both content and practice in the discipline. For example, in a flipped counseling theories course, students would view a 15-minute video lecture synthesizing key information about specific counseling theories for homework. Then, in class, an instructor could lead students through a series of activities about counseling theories, including watching videos of certain theories, listening to a guest speaker who uses those theories, practicing techniques from the theories, and engaging in discussion about the strengths and weaknesses of the theories. In contrast, a non-flipped class session might consist of an instructor lecturing for most of the class session about the theories, then finding time for just one or two activities further exploring the theories. Despite the usefulness of flipped learning in counselor education, a limited number of research articles have been published about the topic, and no previous studies have compared flipped and non-flipped counselor education courses. We sought to fill this gap in the present study by examining student classroom engagement in flipped and non-flipped counseling courses. We chose to compare student classroom engagement given its established relationship with positive student outcomes like achievement and graduation rates. Researchers also have acknowledged that student classroom engagement is impacted by many variables, including instructors’ behaviors; thus, the construct appeared malleable in a flipped classroom. We used a causal comparative method and compared student engagement via the Classroom Engagement Inventory (CEI) in four counseling theories course sections. The CEI measures student engagement at the classroom level in five scales: affective engagement, behavioral engagement–compliance, behavioral engagement–effortful class participation, cognitive engagement, and disengagement. When we compared students in the flipped counseling courses (n = 30) to students in the non-flipped courses (n = 37), we found that the flipped counseling students reported statistically higher classroom engagement than the non- flipped counseling students in all scales but one (behavioral engagement–effortful class participation). Effect sizes were medium (.50–.70) for the four other engagement measures, as well as for an overall measure of classroom engagement. Study findings provide positive, though tentative, cause to conclude that flipped learning is a valuable teaching approach in counselor education. Given that participants in flipped counseling courses reported significantly higher classroom engagement than participants in non-flipped counseling courses in our study, counselor educators might want to consider flipped learning as a teaching approach that helps contribute to an engaged counseling classroom. Findings also draw attention to the need for greater attention to pedagogy in counselor education and strategies to best meet the evolving learning needs of counseling students. Clare Merlin-Knoblich, NCC, is an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Pamela N. Harris is an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Erin Chase McCarty Mason is an assistant professor at Georgia State University. Correspondence can be addressed to Clare Merlin-Knoblich, 9201 University City Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28223, claremerlin@uncc.edu. 5 | Examining Student Classroom Engagement in Flipped and Non-Flipped Counselor Education Courses Clare Merlin-Knoblich, Pamela N. Harris, Erin Chase McCarty Mason