The Flipped Classroom and its Impact on Student Engagement and Academic Performance in a Culinary Arts, Career and Technical Education Program

The purpose of this study was to gather evidence from a CTE culinary arts program to determine if students perform better academically and are more engaged in the flipped classroom using digital technology, than a traditional classroom. The study included 24 participants in a postsecondary, CTE culinary arts program who were divided into two groups of 12: a traditional, teacher-centered group and a flipped, student-centered group. Utilizing action-based research design, surveys, journals, and an engagement matrix were created and used. Although not statistically significant, student grades in the flipped classroom were nearly 4% higher than those in the traditional classroom and were consistently higher throughout the semester. This study helps establish a foundation of evidence that student engagement and academic success improve in the flipped classroom for culinary arts CTE students.