EFFECT OF ONLINE FLIPPED CLASSROOM ON

STUDENTS’ SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING: A CASE OF

SOME UNIVERSITIES IN INDONESIA
Syaiputra Wahyuda Meisa Diningrat
Universitas PGRI Adi Buana Surabaya, Indonesia
Baraka Manjale Ngussa
University of Arusha, Tanzania

ABSTRACT
This study investigated the effect of the online, flipped classroom model on learners’ self-directed
learning using the descriptive correlation design. A total of 181 students from three public universities
that applied the online flipped classroom approach participated in the study. The finds reveal that students
did very well in their self-management through the online flipped classroom. They were methodical,
self-disciplined, and confident in their ability to search out new information. Furthermore, they were
systematic in organizing their learning activity. The students were able to access the lecture notes on their
own time, which increased their understanding of the material. The synchronous aspect of the flipped
classroom had a positive correlation with student desire for learning and self-control. This suggests that
the more students are exposed to synchronous activities, the greater their desire for learning and their
self-control in the process of learning. Therefore, synchronous experiences are essential for students to be
self-controlled and for them to have a desire for learning.

Keywords: online flipped classroom, problem-based learning, self-directed learning

INTRODUCTION own pace, learners playing an active role in the
Online teaching and learning have gained teaching and learning process, engaging in inter-
in popularity and reputation in the 21st century, active learning as well as adapting, reflecting, and
especially in higher education. Recently, the total evaluating the learning process.
number of Indonesian universities that implement Self-directed learning is a fundamental com-
the online teaching and learning has increased due ponent for effective learning in the modern world
to the Covid-19 pandemic (Yarrow & Bhardwaj, (Morris, 2019). Although students in higher edu-
2020). This new learning environment has changed cation use self-directed learning, Morris (2019)
the role of students from passive to active learners, argued that there are challenges facing the self-
thus paving the way for a learner-centered teaching directed learning approach. A study among Asian
and learning approach and self-directed learning countries has suggested that SDL is a major con-
(Howell et al., 2003). Researchers have argued that cern that requires serious attention (Bozkurt et al.,
self-directed learning (SDL) plays a vital role in a 2020). Facilitating SDL not only has potential to
successful learning (Hartley & Bendixen, 2001; improve the quality of learners’ achievement, but it
Heo & Han, 2018; Zhu et al., 2020). The advan- can significantly predict learners’ academic perfor-
tages of online learning include learning at one’s mance whether in a face-to-face or online setting

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(Chou & Chen, 2008; Khiat, 2017; Zimmerman & discussion forums in which users communicate via
Kitsantas, 2005). Therefore, fostering self-directed email or through a learning management system
learning competence should be a foremost goal and synchronous chatrooms in which users com-
within many higher education institutions. municate in real time (Dabbagh & Bannan-Ritland,
Higher education institutions need to offer 2005). Studies indicated that while asynchronous
online learning environments that promote a stu- forms of online learning received much more
dent’s active learning. Although there has been attention than synchronous or mixed modes of
increased attention on the traditional flipped class- education delivery, asynchronous online learning
room as an effective approach to create a more has higher levels of attrition than traditional face-
student-centered and active learning environ- to-face learning (Siemens et al., 2015). Yuan &
ment (Lee & Kim, 2018; Nouri, 2016), the online Kim (2014) indicated that the cause for this attri-
flipped classroom seems to be the most appropriate tion is the lack of interaction between students and
instructional model that offers the learning activ- teachers (. Therefore, it is important to understand
ity fully online, hereafter referred to as the online the various ways students interact and participate
flipped classroom. The online flipped classroom in both asynchronous and synchronous modes to
(OFC) is similar to the conventional flipped class- decrease attrition rates and increase academic suc-
room in which learners are encouraged to complete cess in the online environment (Nieuwoudt, 2020).
preclass asynchronous activities (e.g., watching The conventional flipped classroom has become
video lectures, reading lecturer notes, and complet- popular and is strongly advocated for students’
ing quizzes) (Hew et al., 2020; Stöhr et al., 2020). learning in higher education. Johnson et al. (2015)
The OFC also seems to be a promising ped- identified the flipped classroom as an important
agogical approach because it combines both development in educational technology. Recent
asynchronous and synchronous online activities. studies have examined the impact of the flipped
Previous studies on the pedagogical models showed classroom in terms of meta-analyses (Cheng et al.,
that the learning activities can be successfully 2019; Shi et al., 2019; Strelan et al., 2020), system-
implemented and conducted through an online atic review (Karabulut-Ilgu et al., 2018; Lundin et
course with flexible time and space for learners al., 2018), and literature review (Al-samarraie et
(Hew et al., 2020; Lin et al., 2019). Furthermore, al., 2019; Brewer & Movahedazarhouligh, 2018;
(Lin et al., 2019) revealed that learners who attend Chung et al., 2021). Most of these studies have
asynchronous learning activities (e.g., watched examined the students’ cognitive learning, per-
prerecorded video lectures) had a better under- formance, engagement, metacognition, attitude,
standing of the learning concepts and those who and achievement. Regarding the flipped classroom
attended synchronous online activities (e.g., class framework, researchers have proposed theoretical
discussions) had greater engagement with peers frameworks that combine the flipped classroom
and teachers. However, research on learner’s self- with problem-based learning (Diningrat et al.,
directed learning in the online flipped classroom is 2020; Strayer, 2017) and examined them (Çakiroğlu
relatively rare. For this reason, this study aimed to & Öztürk, 2017; Chis et al., 2018; Tawfik & Lilly,
investigate the effects of the online flipped class- 2015). The results showed that most of the students
room on learners’ self-directed learning in an had a positive perception and supported knowl-
Indonesian university context. edge acquisition and engagement, but they also
Online Flipped Classroom focused on the self-directed learning and students’
Typically, online learning refers to the use of self-regulated learning. However, findings on the
online communication networks for education innovative framework of OFC are limited (Hew et
and includes applications such as course delivery, al., 2020; Stöhr et al., 2020), especially regarding
support of access to resources, and group collabo- learners’ self-directed learning.
ration that is mediated by the web (Harasim, 2012). Moreover, only a few studies on OFC have
Online learning includes the content delivered been conducted so far. For example, Chen et
online or in face-to-face meetings with the sup- al., 2014 and Lin et al., 2019 proposed that the
port of technology (Allen & Seaman, 2015). There flipped classroom pedagogy framework is built
are two types of online interactions: asynchronous from the four pillars of F-L-I-P (Flexible learning

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environment, Learning culture, Intentional content, learning activities in the online learning environ-
and Professional educator) and added three extra ment (Lin et al., 2019). This study recommends
letters: P-E-D (Progressive activities, Engaging problem-based learning as an instructional strat-
experiences, and Diversified platform); thus, the egy for the synchronous online and asynchronous
framework is called a FLIPPED pedagogy model. learning activities (see Figure 1).
They also revealed that those students who were Problem-based Learning
engaged in this pedagogical model experienced Problem-based learning (PBL) is an
higher satisfaction levels and better grade aver- instructional model that primarily focuses on prob-
age as compared to those who were not engaged lem-solving activities. Savery (2015) argued that
in it. Another study on the FLIPPED pedagogy PBL is an instructional learner-centered approach
model further revealed that students who watched that empowers learners to conduct research, inte-
more prerecorded video lectures tended to obtain a grate theory and practice, and apply knowledge
higher grade, those who completed more learning and skills to develop viable solutions to a defined
activities had better understanding of the learning problem. According to Barrows (1996) and
concepts, and those who kept their synchronous Dolmans (2019), there are four essential principles
learning activities (face-to-face discussions) had of learning activities in the PBL: learning should
more active engagement (Lin et al., 2019). be a constructive process, a self-directed process,
In the OFC, students do not need to attend the a collaborative process, and a contextual process.
physical class because they can fully perform all They suggested that problems are a stimulus for
learning activities online. Thus, this pedagogical learning and for developing PBL skills. Unlike the
model can be implemented using asynchronous and traditional formats in which problems are solved
synchronous online systems (Chen et al., 2014). On in the physical classroom, the problems are solved
the one hand, in asynchronous learning activities through digitalized experiences such as video clips
learners are required to complete instructional con- and websites through the learning management sys-
tent such as concept knowledge. On the other hand, tem (Barrett et al., 2011; Korin & Wilkerson, 2011).
in synchronous online learning activities, learners Thus, learners engage in independent research in
are required to attend the class time (face-to-face finding, reviewing, evaluating, and applying new
discussions) to discuss the content knowledge and information to the problem entirely online.
to apply their understanding of it to solve prob- PBL is comprised of a series of processes in
lems. Since the class time does not require physical which learner-centered tasks are monitored by
settings, the teachers should design and implement teachers. In doing so, Best (2018) proposed four

Figure 1. Framework for Learning Activities in Online Flipped Classroom

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strategies for facilitating students’ problem-solving in the international classroom (Du Toit-Brits, 2019).
activities with technology. This approach becomes an essential variable in a
• Posing the problem, where learning activity rapidly changing world, such as during the recent
begins with problems that relate to one or more COVID-19 Pandemic. This is a good example of
observable phenomenon, event, or situation. the unknown futures learners are likely to expe-
rience where traditional teaching and learning
• Self-directed learning, where learners methods in which the teacher and the learner
engage in the learning tasks by collecting engage in physical contact must be supplemented
and studying resources and selecting the with modern technology. According to Jaleel & O.
relevant literature to inform their report to M. (2017), “today, educators are preparing learners
the groups in the next meeting. for a world we cannot even predict, and therefore
• Collaborative learning, where learners self-directed learning becomes an essential foun-
work in groups of five to eight to share their dation for the 21st century learners” (p. 1849). It
collective knowledge, revisit the problem, is important to note that we live in a world where
and reconsider and redesign hypotheses the interactions learners experience have been
based on their developed understanding. broadened by the presence of technology. The
• Consolidating and reporting, where interaction in the present teaching-learning pro-
learners consolidate and summarize their cess, which is characterized by the application
learning, report their knowledge, and present of technological devices and media, goes beyond
responses to the problems presented. the student-teacher and student-student relation-
Furthermore, there are two essential parts of ships by providing possibilities for learners to
learning activity in online PBL: initial discussion interact with a surrounding environment that is
of the tasks through independent work and post- full of opportunities. Therefore, the teacher is
not supposed to determine the directions that the
discussion of the tasks through group discussions
learning process should take but should grant
(Blumberg, 2019; Rienties et al., 2012).
maximum freedom for learners to make use of
In this current study, the problem-solving process
the surrounding opportunities to explore and for
consists of two parts that make it a worthy discussion.
effective learning to take place. This is supported
One is initial discussion and the other is postdiscus-
by Malan et al. (2014), whose study revealed that
sion. These two parts of the learning activity were
the sustainability of self-directed learning skills
adopted from the Seven-Jump approach by Rienties
was questionable if student beliefs in the approach
et al., (2012). They classified the two learning activi-
did not support the activities employed during the
ties of PBL in elearning environment as an is initial
teaching and learning process.
discussion of the task and a postdiscussion of the task.
Bosch & Pool (2019) brought up the idea of
In the initial discussion, learners work independently learners’ presence through the utilization of modern
by identifying the difficult terms and the main prob- technology, considering the fact that learning does
lem and then they start to solve learning issues. For not take place in isolation but in association with oth-
the postdiscussion, learners work collaboratively in ers, such as educators, tutors, and peers. Therefore,
small groups, elaborate on the findings, and reach when learning is placed on a continuum, it can range
agreement on answers through the group discus- from educator-oriented at one end to self-directed at
sion in which they check if all the learning issues are the other end. The more there is a teacher-directed
answered and summarize the main points of discus- atmosphere, the fewer opportunities the students
sion with guidance by teachers. In short, learning have to think and make appropriate decisions that
activities in the asynchronous phase focus on the ini- may facilitate their presence and consequently guar-
tial discussion and learning activities in synchronous antee maximized learning outcomes. According to
online phase focus on the postdiscussion of the tasks Malan et al. (2014), exposing learners to challeng-
(see figure 1). ing circumstances leads them to the problem-based
Self-directed Learning learning environments that “promote more mean-
Research on self-directed learning approaches ingful learning patterns, typified by processing
has become imperative for education and training the subject matter critically and self-regulating

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learning processes (p. 1). Exposing learners to differences of learners due to the fact that while
challenging environments is further advocated by “most students are not homogeneous in their back-
Du Toit-Brits (2019), who investigated self-directed ground, knowledge, experience, learning abilities
learning in the context of the role that educators’ or learning styles, the self-directed activities which
expectations play in enhanced self-directedness. are embedded in every PBL phase suit students’
They recommended that educators need to trans- diverse learning needs” (Malan et al., 2014, p. 3).
form the learning environment into one that is One of the benefits of self-directed learning is
supportive by practicing good teaching, motivat- in preparing students for life-long learning. This
ing students to learn in a manner that is relevant has been indicated in Tekkol & Demirel (2018),
and meaningful, encouraging independence in who investigated the relationship between uni-
learning, implementing teaching approaches that versity students’ self-directed learning skills and
necessitate students to learn actively by taking their life-long learning tendencies. The results
responsibility, and through demonstrating positive revealed a moderate positive relationship between
expectations for students’ learning. self-directed learning skills and life-long learning
Self-directed learning is a result of the chang- tendencies. This finding suggested that those learn-
ing education landscape that has resulted from the ers who are exposed to self-directed learning gain
demands of the 21st century and the changes in the possibility to continue learning for the rest of
knowledge and information production. It is impor- their lives. Furthermore, this study defined the SDL
tant to note that while the concept of self-directed based on the work of Fisher and King (2010), who
learning has received more attention in the pres- proposed three factors of the learner’s SDL: self-
ent than previous times, studies on the concept are management, desire for learning, and self-control.
limited. This is indicated by Bosch & Pool (2019), The purpose of this study was to investigate
who argued, “Despite the overwhelming interest learners’ self-directed learning in the online flipped
in the community of inquiry framework, there is a classroom model. The contribution and novelty of this
lack of research regarding the role of students’ self- paper is that the results are so significant because in the
directed learning” (p. 52). They further argued that current world things have completely changed due to
learning presence is an important feature of the the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, where teachers
self-directed learning approach where the teacher need to improvise ways to curb the challenges involved
needs to ensure that all the factors that limit the in the teaching and learning transaction. More so, the
presence of the learner in the teaching-learning knowledge on the flipped learning approaches will help
process need to be prevented. They also considered educators in higher education institutions improvise
self-directed learning to be closely related with self- strategies that will enhance the self-directed learning
regulation. They further report study findings by among university students.
Shea & Bidjerano (2010), who suggested that online Specifically, this study was guided by the fol-
students should monitor their time and cognitive lowing six research questions:
strategies, regulate their own study environment, 1. What are learners’ perspectives of their
and exercise control over their interactions with asynchronous learning activity in the OFC?
peers to maximize learning in order to facilitate 2. What are learners’ perspectives of their
the learning presence, which is a prerequisite of synchronous learning activity in the OFC?
effective self-directed learning. Therefore, self-
3. What is the perception of learners of their
directed learning belongs to the learner centered
self-management in the OFC?
approaches through which learners are prepared
for active participation in the present and for life- 4. What is the perception of learners of their
long learning (Du Toit-Brits, 2019). According to desire for learning in the OFC?
Malan et al. (2014), self-directed learning is asso- 5. What is the perception of learners of their
ciated with problem- based learning that provides self-control in the OFC?
a more realistic picture of the academic chal- 6. Is there a significant relationship between
lenges that learners have to face in the process of asynchronous activities, synchronous
teaching and learning. The essence of the use of activities, and various aspects of self-directed
self-directed learning is linked with the individual learning?

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Table 1. Demographic Information

Variable Code Frequency % of sample

17–20 102 56.4
Age (years old) 21–24 79 43.6
Total 181 100
Male 96 53
Sex Female 85 47
Total 181 100
Diploma 23 12.7
Level of Education
Bachelor 159 87.3
Library and Information Science 23 12.7
Computer Science 101 55.8
Department
English Language Teaching 57 31.5
Total 181 100

METHODOLOGY 101 (55.8%) came from Computer Science and 57

This section presents the methodology that was (31.5%) came from English Language Teaching.
used to guide the study. It addresses such aspects Therefore, the majority of respondents came from
as the research design, participants, data collection Computer Science department.
procedures, and the validity and reliability of the Data Collections Procedures
questionnaire. The data were collected from August to
Research Design November 2020 from three selected universities
The study employed the quantitative approach applying the online flipped classroom. In the final
using a descriptive correlation design, which week of classes in November, learners were sent a
enabled us to examine the relationship between the questionnaire survey through an instant message
online flipped classroom and learners’ self-directed group (WhatsApp) that asked about their views on
learning (Creswell, 2011). The data were therefore the online flipped classroom class. The question-
treated through both descriptive statistics as well naires were adopted from Fisher and King (2010)
as correlations to establish the possible effects that and consisted of three categories of self-directed
exist among the variables under investigation. learning: self-management, desire for learning, and
self-control.
Participants
A total of 181 university students were recruited Validity and Reliability
from three different departments in different pub- The validity of the questionnaire was ensured
lic universities located in the Malang city. As through the expert judgment approach whereby
shown in Table 1, of the 181 participants, 96 (53%) three experienced researchers from the University
were male while 85 (47%) were female. Thus, the of Arusha were given the questionnaire to go
majority of respondents were males. The respon- through and give comments for improvement
dents were also categorized according to their age before the questionnaire was tested for reliability.
group: 102 (56.4%) were 20 years old and younger Thereafter, the questionnaire was given to
102 and 79 (43.6%) were 21 years old and older. selected students from a university in Indonesia for
Thus, the majority of respondents were 20 years the pilot study whereby the acceptable reliability
old and younger. By education level, 23 (12.7%) level was obtained as seen in Table 2, where the
were diploma students while 159 (87.3%) were Cronbach’s Alpha for the variables ranged between
bachelor’s degree students. Thus, the majority of .751 and .862, meaning the questionnaire was reli-
respondents were bachelor’s degree students. As far able for data collection.
as the type of department is concerned, 23 (12.7%) Statistical Treatment of Data
came from Library and Information Science while The data were analyzed through the Statistical

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Table 2. Reliability Test

SN Variable Items Cronbach’s Alpha Interpretation

1 Asynchronous 5 .789 Reliable
2 Synchronous 7 .751 Reliable
3 Self-Management 10 .862 Reliable
4 Desire for Leaning 9 .822 Reliable
5 Self-control 9 .844 Reliable

Package for Social Science (SPSS) 23. research question. This question sought to estab-
Demographic data analysis involved frequencies lish the perception of students on the asynchronous
and percentages. The data for learners’ perception learning activity whereby learners were to indicate
involved the mean scores and standard devia- their level of agreement or disagreement with par-
tions. Finally, correlation analysis was employed to ticular statements.
examine the relationships between the asynchro- As can be seen in Table 3, the mean score of
nous learning, synchronous learning, and various the first three items in the questionnaire ranged
aspects of self-directed. between 3.50 and 4.49, which means agreement
FINDINGS with the statements. Particularly, learners agreed
This section presents the findings of the study that they are able to accesses the lecturer notes in
guided by the research questions that guided the their own time, the video lecturers increased their
study: understanding of the main problem, and the quiz-
Research Question 1: What are learners’ zes prepared them to solve the problems in the
perspectives of their asynchronous learning synchronous class sessions. However, the mean
activity in the OFC? score for the last two items was between 2.50 and
Asynchronous learning employs learning 3.49, which denotes undecidedness. Particularly,
management systems developed by universities to learners were undecided whether they were satis-
allow teachers and learners to interact with each fied by doing the discussion in the classroom and
other in their own time (see Figure 2). whether they were satisfied by the degree of prob-
We used descriptive analysis (means and stan- lem difficulty in the assignments.
dard deviations) to search for an answer to the first

Figure 2. Example of Issues/problems Posed in Learning Management System

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Table 3. Learners’ Perspectives of their Asynchronous Activities

SN Item Mean Std. Dev Interpretation

1 I’m able to accesses the lecturer notes at my own time. 4.0994 .81721 Agree
2 The lecturer notes increased my understanding of the main problems. 3.7238 .76807 Agree
3 The quizzes prepare me to solve the problem in the synchronous class sessions. 3.5580 .79106 Agree
4 I ’m satisfied by doing the discussion in this class session. 3.4088 .87479 Undecided
5 I’m satisfied by the degree of problem difficulty in the assignment. 2.9890 .79575 Undecided

Research Question 2: What are learners’ in a team during the classroom session, and that they
perspectives of their synchronous learning were satisfied with the discussions in the classroom.
activity in the OFC? However, respondents were undecided whether
Synchronous learning activity employs both working in teams increased their understanding of
video conferencing developed by the university or the main problem and whether they had sufficient
video conferencing platforms such as Zoom to allow time to interact with their instructors and with peers.
teachers and learners to interact with each other at the The undecidedness could mean that students enjoyed
same time (see Figure 3). a heated discussion but they did not reach a definitive
We used descriptive analysis (mean and standard conclusion.
deviation) to search for an answer to this question.
This research question sought to establish the percep- Research Question 3: What is the perception of
tion of learners on the synchronous learning activity learners of their self-management in the OFC?
whereby learners were to indicate their level of agree- Self-management is the sense that learners are
ment or disagreement with particular statements. As working through a required task with minimal super-
can be seen in Table 4, respondents agreed that solv- vision by the teacher. It is interesting to note that
ing problems as a team improved their ability to think under this category, learners agreed with all the items
through a problem. The learners also agreed that except one, which means that learners did very
working in a team motivated them to work hard dur- well in the self-management aspect in the OFC.
ing the class sessions, that they were satisfied working

Figure 3. Example of Synchronous Learning Activity

Figure 3. Example of Synchronous Learning

Activity

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Table 4. Learners’ Perspectives of Their Synchronous Activities

SN Item Mean Std. Dev Interpretation

1 Solving problems in a team has improved my ability to think through a problem. 3.9890 .70702 Agree
2 Work in a team motivated me during this class session to work harder. 3.5912 .84244 Agree
3 I’m satisfied to work in a team during this class session in this course. 3.5801 .82357 Agree
4 I’m satisfied by doing the discussion in this class session. 3.5635 .79763 Agree
5 Working in a team increased my understanding of the main problem. 3.4530 .99121 Undecided
I have sufficient time during this class session to individually interact with
6 3.3867 .82640 Undecided
my instructor (e.g., asking questions, clarifying confusing concepts).
7 I have sufficient time during this class to interact with peers. 3.3094 .87773 Undecided

Table 5. Learners’ Perspectives on their Self-management

SN Item Mean Std. Dev Interpretation

1 I am confident in my ability to search out new information. 3.9448 .68899 Agree
2 I am methodical. 3.8287 .63110 Agree
3 I prioritize my work. 3.7901 .88199 Agree
4 I’m organized. 3.7790 .71941 Agree
5 I’m self-disciplined. 3.7680 .69224 Agree
6 I have good managements skills. 3.5967 .77301 Agree
7 I can be trusted to pursue my own learning. 3.5801 .81680 Agree
8 I set strict time frames. 3.5414 .75623 Agree
9 I am systematic in my learning. 3.5359 .84003 Agree
10 I set specific times for my study. 3.2928 .88657 Undecided

However, mean score for the last item in Table to learning continuance. They also agreed that
5 was between 2.50 and 3.49, which denotes unde- they need to know why, they enjoy learning new
cidedness. Particularly, learners were undecided information, they have a need to learn, they enjoy
whether they set specific times for their study. challenges in the process of learning, and they crit-
Research Question 4: What is the perception of ically evaluate new ideas in the process of learning.
learners of their desire for learning in the OFC? Research Question 5: What is the perception of
The desire for learning is a key aspect for learners of their self-control in the OFC?
learning effectiveness. Unless the desire for This research question sought to establish the
learning is developed, the learners will lose the perception of learners on their self-control in the
motivation to learn and therefore whatever activity OFC. The learners agreed with all the items in this
takes place in the process of teaching and learn- section. According to Table 7, they agreed that they
ing will be a waste of time and resources. This are responsible, they control their life, they can find
question therefore sought to establish the extent to the information on their own, they are responsible
which students had developed the desire to learn for the decisions they made, they evaluate their
in the OFC. own performance, and they actually have moderate
According to Table 6, learners agreed that personal standards in the process of learning.
they learn from mistakes, which means that mis- Research Question 6: Is there a significant
takes in the process of learning are not an obstacle relationship between asynchronous activities,

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Table 6. Learners’ Perspectives on their Desire for Learning

SN Item Mean Std. Dev Interpretation

1 I learn from my mistakes. 4.2818 .54073 Agree
2 I need to know why. 4.2818 .58037 Agree
3 I enjoy learning new information. 4.2431 .57399 Agree
4 I have a need to learn. 4.1215 .62060 Agree
5 I enjoy a challenge. 3.8398 .75408 Agree
6 I critically evaluate new ideas. 3.7348 .68016 Agree
7 I enjoy studying. 3.6961 .71604 Undecided
8 I want to learn new information. 3.2983 1.86173 Undecided
9 When presented with a problem I can resolve it without asking for assistance. 3.2762 .93745 Undecided

Table 7. Learners’ Perspectives on their Self-control

SN Item Mean Std. Dev Interpretation

1 I am responsible. 4.1602 .57905 Agree
2 I am in control of my life. 4.1436 .61583 Agree
3 I can find out information for myself. 4.0884 .66075 Agree

4 I am responsible for my own decisions/actions. 4.0829 .63139 Agree

5 I am able to know my own limitations. 4.0552 .66436 Agree
6 I prefer to set my own learning goals. 4.0221 .64080 Agree
7 I evaluate my own performance. 3.9171 .75188 Agree
8 I have high beliefs in my abilities. 3.8785 .75765 Agree
9 I have moderate personal standards. 3.8564 .69228 Agree

synchronous activities, and various aspects of self- Table 8. The Results of the Correlations Analyses
directed learning? Variable (A) (B) (C) (D) (E)
This research question sought to establish the Asynchronous r
relationship between asynchronous experiences, 1 .531** .478** .238** .319**
session
synchronous experiences, and various aspects of Synchronous session r 1 .401** .171* .322**
self-directed learning using the Person Correlation
Self-management r 1 .485** .448**
Coefficients to establish the relationships between
Desire for learning r 1 .560**
asynchronous, synchronous, and various aspects of
self-directed learning (see Table 8). Self-control r 1
We found seven significant Pearson correlations, *
p<.005, **p<.001

as found in Table 8. Asynchronous learning activ-

ity is positively correlated with the synchronous Additionally, we inferred that the self-directed
learning activity (r = .532, p < .001), self-manage- learning aspects were closely interrelated. Thus it was
ment (r = .478, p < .001), desire for learning (r = supported by the results in which there is a low-level
.238, p ≤ .001), and self-control (r = .319, p < .001). relationship between self-management and desire for
Furthermore, synchronous learning activity is posi- learning (r = .485, p < .001) and self-management and
tively correlated with self-management (r = .478, p < self-control (r = .448, p < .001). On the other hand,
.001), and self-control (r = .322, p < .001). there is a medium-level relationship between desire
for learning and self-control (r = .560, p < .001).

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DISCUSSION well in their self-management. This finding corre-
Increased attention to online teaching and lates with the work by Liu et al. (2018) and Stratton
learning in higher education due to the Covid- et al. (2020), who revealed that the conventional
19 pandemic has been accompanied by the flipped classroom could enhance self-directed
emergence of self- directed learning. However, learning aspects including self-management skills.
developing self-directed learning in the online Therefore, the learners’ self-management skills
setting is challenging (Bozkurt et al., 2020). Our were nurtured in the online flipped classroom. For
study investigated the effect of implementing the example, learners were confident in their ability to
online flipped classroom on learners’ self-directed search out new information, they were methodical,
learning. The online flipped classroom was sys- they prioritized their work, they were organized,
tematically structured by adopting the Seven-Jump they were self-disciplined, they had good manage-
model (Rienties et al., 2012) as the instructional ment skills, they could be trusted to pursue their
strategy. own learning, they set strict timeframes, and they
The results show that learners were able to were systematic in their learning activity.
accesses the lecturer notes at their own time, the Another interesting result in regard to the
video lecturers increased their understanding of learners’ self-control is that learners agreed with
the main problem, and the quizzes prepared them all the items of self-control, which means that they
to solve the problems in the synchronous class ses- did well in their self-control. This finding is consis-
sions. These findings are in harmony with previous tent with other findings on the conventional flipped
study findings (Heijstra & Sigurðardóttir, 2018; classroom implementation (Tawfik & Lilly, 2015)
Zainuddin & Perera, 2018). By providing lecture whereby the conventional flipped classroom sup-
materials online, such as lecturer notes, the students ports the learners in different ways where they are
are given the opportunity to learn and understand able to access learning resources on their own time
the content in their own time. Being able to view the as part of preparation for the classroom and as a
lecturer notes at the learners’ own pace and place way to close gaps in their conceptual knowledge.
of choice resulted in greater focus, a less distracted Therefore, the online flipped classroom is prom-
condition, and greater comfort in the learning pro- ising to nurture the learners’ self-control skill.
cess. In addition, asynchronous learning activity in In regard to the learners’ desire for learning, the
the OFC increased learners’ understanding of the finding correlates with the work by Knapp (2018).
problem so they were prepared to attend to it in the Learners perceived that mistakes in the process
synchronous learning activity. of learning are not an obstacle to learning con-
Our study also showed that learners perceived tinuance, they enjoyed challenges in the process of
that solving problems in a team improved not only learning, and they critically evaluated new ideas in
their ability to think through problems but it also the process of learning.
motivated them during the class sessions to work The results of the correlation analyses imply that
hard. In addition, they were satisfied working in learners who are more prepared in asynchronous
teams during the classroom session and they were learning tended to participate, engage, and solve
satisfied with the discussions in the classroom. This complex problems in the synchronous learning
finding correlates with Ye et al., (2019) that the level activities. This finding is in harmony with previous
of confidence for individual learners to complete studies that consistently showed that asynchronous
learning task with team members improves their learning activity prepared learners for synchronous
ability to think critically. In line with Hao (2016), learning activities to interact and to solve problems
working in groups was identified as an advantage using their previous knowledge (Karabulut-Ilgu
of the conventional flipped classroom. Thus, in the et al., 2018; Kinsella et al., 2017; Lin et al., 2019).
online flipped classrooms, learners were able to Therefore, this study suggests that in the asynchro-
work in groups, hear a variety of opinions, and get nous learning activity, learners are more encouraged
motivated through a video conferencing platform. to use their self-management, desire for learning,
Interestingly, our study showed that learn- and self-control (Diningrat et al., 2020; Hao, 2016).
ers agreed with all the items of self-management Our findings therefore show that the effect
in SDL except one, which means that learners did of the online flipped classroom on learners’

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self-directed learning was encouraging, even
though this study involved only a small sample of
learners who participated.
CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that students did very well in their
self-management through the online flipped class-
room. They were confident in their ability to search
out new information and they were methodical and
self-disciplined. Furthermore, they were systematic
in their learning activity. Through asynchronous
learning, they were able to accesses the lecture
notes on their own time and increase their under-
standing of the main problem. They were able to
work in groups, hear varieties of opinions, and get
inspired. Team learning motivated them during
the class session to work hard. The online flipped
classroom nurtured learners’ self-management,
desire for learning, and self-control. The asynchro-
nous learning management system had a positive
correlation with the students’ desire for learn-
ing and self-control. The more the students were
exposed to asynchronous activities, the more their
desire for learning and self-control increased in the
process of learning.
In addition, in order to facilitate learning and
interaction between students and teacher in the
fully online learning environment, it is important
to support the flexibility of asynchronous learning
activities as provided by the learning management
systems. It is also important to support real-time
interactive sessions in the synchronous online
learning sessions by providing video conferenc-
ing that can allow students to see each other, talk
freely, and share resources.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The study recommends that implementing
the online flipped classroom is very important to
nurture learners’ self-directed learning in higher
education contexts. Therefore, learners need to be
exposed to online flipped classroom opportunities
for better learning results to take place.

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