Evaluating the Effectiveness of Flipped Lesson Models in Physical Education: A Systematic Review of Student Engagement and Learning Outcomes

Abstract

Flipped learning relocates direct instruction to pre-class activities and uses class time for guided practice, feedback, and collaboration. Its effectiveness in physical education (PE), where learning spans cognitive, psychomotor, and social domains, remains unclear. This systematic review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42024543676) and reported in accordance with PRISMA 2020. Five bibliographic databases and Google Scholar were searched for peer-reviewed intervention studies published from January 2018 to January 2024. Ten studies met the eligibility criteria, and their findings were synthesised thematically. Across secondary and tertiary PE settings, flipped lessons were generally associated with higher motivation, participation, self-efficacy, collaboration, conceptual understanding, and skill performance. Outcomes varied according to the quality and alignment of pre-class materials, students’ completion of preparatory work, teacher readiness, and contextual factors. Most interventions were short and geographically concentrated, and heterogeneity in study designs and measures precluded strong causal or long-term conclusions. Flipped lessons are a promising approach to active learning in PE, but benefits are not automatic. Effective implementation requires accessible, well-designed pre-class resources, purposeful in-class activities, teacher training, and support for students who struggle with self-directed preparation. Longer, more diverse, and methodologically robust studies are needed.