The Effects of Traditional Lecture and Flipped Classroom on Learning, Learning Retention, and Satisfaction among Operating Room Students: A Comparative Study

Background: Rapid changes in communities necessitate the use of new‑teaching methods in universities. Objectives: This study aimed to determine and compare the effects of traditional lecture and flipped classroom (FC) on learning, learning retention, and satisfaction among operating room students. Methods: This two‑group quasi‑experimental study was conducted in 2018–2019 in the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. Forty‑four operating room students who had enrolled in anesthesiology course were selected and randomly allocated to a lecture and a FC group. Data were collected using a researcher‑made satisfaction questionnaire and two researcher‑made knowledge examinations. Data analysis was performed using the Chi‑square, independent‑samples t, and paired‑samples t‑tests. Results: The mean scores of knowledge in the first and the second examinations in the FC group (i.e. 18.85 ± 0.83 and 17.47 ± 1.42, respectively) were significantly greater than the corresponding mean scores in the lecture group (i.e., 16.21 ± 1.99 and 12.90 ± 2.64, respectively) (P < 0.05). Moreover, the mean score of satisfaction in the FC group was significantly higher than the lecture group (169.44 ± 17.82 vs. 115.56 ± 17.57; P < 0.05). Conclusion: FC is more effective than traditional lecture in promoting students’ satisfaction and short‑ and long‑term learning.