Impact of Prior Knowledge, Learning Style, and Problem Nature on Students Performance in a Flipped Engineering Mathematics Class

Although many studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of flipped learning in terms of performance enhancements, there is a lack of research investigating the factors that can affect students' performance in introductory engineering mathematics courses using flipped learning. This study investigated how different factors, including prior knowledge, learning styles, and types of problems, can affect the flipped classroom students' performance in engineering mathematics. Before and after participating in flipped learning covering the concept of ordinary differential equations, 139 engineering students' testing and survey data were collected. The results showed that, first, two learning styles including converging and assimilating played a major role in problem-solving, and significantly predicted their final test score. Second, when engaging in real-life and non-routine problems individually or in collaboration with group members, students' scores in the post-test were increased. This study concluded that instructors could enhance students' performance in engineering mathematics by integrating flipped learning with their current curriculum, helping students apply the abstract concepts of mathematics to authentic situations, and considering students' learning styles as a factor in successful flipped learning.