Bringing the flipped classroom to Marxist-Leninist philosophy: evidence from teaching Indian medical students in Vietnam

Abstract

This study tests whether a flipped classroom model supported by digital technologies improves learning outcomes in a compulsory Marxist-Leninist philosophy course taught in English to Indian medical students at Can Tho University of Medicine and Pharmacy (CTUMP), Vietnam, and, more importantly, why it does so. Flipped learning has been evaluated extensively in science, engineering, and language education, but almost never in political theory, and rarely with international, non-native-speaking cohorts enrolled in compulsory ideological coursework. Most evaluations also assume, rather than measure, the psychological pathway linking digital preparation to higher-order thinking. A convergent mixed-methods design assigned 420 Indian students to an experimental group (EG) (n=210) taught through a learning management system (LMS), micro-learning videos, pre-class formative quizzes, and interaction-intensive class sessions, or to a control group (CG) (n=210) receiving lecture-based instruction. Validated scales measured digital learning access (DLA), cognitive load barriers (CLB), self-regulated learning (SRL), classroom interaction (CLA), critical thinking ability (CTA), and technology/learning analytics acceptance (TLA). Independent-samples t-tests favored the EG on every construct (d=.96-1.74), and bootstrapped mediation analysis showed that CLA carried 55.8% of the effect of DLA on critical thinking, with the largest gains among students entering with lower grade point averages (GPA). CLA, and not digital exposure by itself, is the principal mechanism through which technology-enhanced preparation raises higher-order thinking. The model offers an evidence-based and equity-enhancing route for political theory instruction in international medical education.