Development of a flipped classroom module based on problem-solving of culinary arts for community colleges / Umawathy Techanamurthy

Umawathy, Techanamurthy (2018) Development of a flipped classroom module based on problem-solving of culinary arts for community colleges / Umawathy Techanamurthy. PhD thesis, University of Malaya.

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Abstract

Problem-solving skills is one of the employability skills required by the industry. However, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) graduates seem to lack problem-solving skills despite having the technical skills. One of the causes to this problem may be due to the insufficient practice in solving real-world problems, even instructors lack the pedagogical skills to teach for problem-solving. Hence, in this study a Problem-Solving Flipped Classroom (PSFC) module was developed for enhancing students’ problem-solving skills. A design and developmental research approach with three phases for needs analysis, design and development, and evaluation, was employed. In the first phase, 831 Culinary Arts students from all the 11 Community Colleges offering Certificate in Culinary Arts were surveyed to identify their level of problem-solving skills and their readiness for flipped classroom (FC) implementation. In addition, semi-structured interviews with 10 instructors were to gain insights into their current teaching practices. Findings indicate that students had average levels of problem-solving skills but exhibited high-level of readiness towards FC implementation. Instructors’ seem to follow the traditional culinary pedagogical model which did not seem to develop problem-solving skills. Thus, there was a need for a module to develop problem-solving skills and the FC approach could be used. In the design phase, the elements appropriate for the PSFC module were determined using the Fuzzy Delphi (FD) method. Firstly, semi-structured interviews with six experts was conducted and the data was analysed into themes to design the FD Instrument. The instrument was distributed to a panel of 19 experts for consensus on the elements in the module. The consensus was achieved for elements of instruction in nine lessons for real-world problems related to Standards of Professionalism, Food Safety, Kitchen Safety and Kitchen Fundamentals. The PSFC module developed was reviewed by six experts and improved before implementation. In the module, lessons were facilitated by instructors using Telegram, while the instructional materials and resources were hosted on Schoology. The PSFC module was implemented among 30 students in a Community College in the evaluation phase using a single-group experiment. In addition, surveys on students’ perception of the module and interviews with the participating instructor were done to determine the module’s usability. The t-test analysis indicates a significant difference in pre-test and post-test scores for learning, t(29) = 12.458, p < .05 and for problem-solving, t(29) = 17.943, p < .05. Students also had positive perception towards their learning experience and the instructor found the module pedagogically and technically usable. The findings show that the module is effective in improving students’ problem-solving skills and learning. The module enables instructors to teach problem-solving using authentic tasks and resources in teaching Culinary Arts. It is recommended that the module could be implemented in other Culinary Arts classrooms to improve students’ problem-solving skills.

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