From Chalk to Clicks: Teachers’ Lived Experiences with Flipped Classrooms in Low-Resource Pandemic Settings

Abstract

The shift toward innovative teaching methods has become a central focus in educational research, particularly as digital pedagogies reshape learning environments. Within this context, the flipped classroom model has been widely promoted, yet little is known about how teachers experience this approach under crisis conditions. While prior studies have assessed effectiveness through performance metrics, the subjective experiences of teachers in resource-limited settings remain underexplored—raising the question: How do teachers interpret their professional and emotional experiences while implementing flipped classrooms during a pandemic?

This study adopts an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to explore the lived experiences of secondary school teachers who adapted to flipped classroom instruction during COVID-19. Following Smith et al.’s (2009) IPA framework, the analysis proceeded through a structured process involving multiple stages: initial reading and re-reading of transcripts, line-by-line coding, development of emergent themes, clustering of themes into superordinate categories, and iterative cross-case analysis.

Through semi-structured interviews with eight teachers, thematically analyzed using IPA, the study reveals that teachers faced deep pedagogical disruptions, emotional strain, and a redefinition of their professional identity. Participants described initial disorientation, gradual adaptation, and the emergence of meaningful connections with students despite technological and institutional constraints. The findings demonstrate that flipped instruction during crisis was experienced as a complex personal journey, marked by resilience and reflective practice.

These results expand the understanding of pedagogical innovation by centering the emotional and interpretive dimensions of teaching, offering valuable insights for policy and teacher development in low-resource educational contexts.