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Available literature on teaching and learning indicates that a high level of concurrence between the teaching style of the teacher and the learning style of the student can augment student learning (Beder & Darkenwald, 1982). It can also play an important role in the development of higher order thinking skills among students (Charkins, O'Toole, & Wetzel, 1985). On the other hand, a discrepancy between the teacher’s instruction style and the student’s learning style can retard the learning process and lead to disinterest on the part of the students (Brookefield, 1984). It can negatively impact the student’s ability to assess and process classroom instructions. Given this premise, and the fact that the average size of a Business classroom in India ranges between 60 to 80 students (Rampell, 2009), it is extremely implausible for a teacher to modify his / her teaching style to suit the individual learning styles of the students. This may reduce the overall efficacy of the teaching-learning process in Indian Business Schools and hence unfavourably influence learning outcomes.
Experts on the subject believe that under such circumstances flipping the classroom may prove a viable option (Lage, Platt, & Treglia, 2000). This understanding has led many practitioners and researchers to examine various facets of this pedagogical approach (Phillips & Trainor, 2014; Ugwoke, Edeh, & Ezemma, 2018). However, sparse academic literature on flipped classrooms in the Indian context is available (Raina, 2015). Further, the extant Indian literature that examines this pedagogical approach with specific reference to Business education is even sparser (Muduli & Kaura, 2010). This gap in existing literature provides justification for the current study.
The current study aims to examine the benefits of flipping the Indian Business classrooms. The study also seeks to explore the challenges in the successful implementation of this pedagogical model in the specific context of Business education. It is the understanding of the authors that the results of the current study are likely to help educators meet the expectations of the new generation of Business students and improve the quality of learning in Indian Business Schools. The results are also likely to add to the extant research on flipped classrooms.
The next section of this article elaborates the existing literature on flipped classrooms. Subsequent sections focus on the study methodology and findings. The article ends with sections on recommendations and limitations of the study.