Integrating multiple representations and local cultural contexts into problem-based learning within a flipped classroom: A new framework for mathematics education

The prevalent use of procedural teaching in mathematics and the tendency to present concepts as abstract ideas pose considerable challenges to improving the quality of mathematics education for middle school students. This study aimed to develop and validate an instructional framework, referred to as the IMR-CPBFL framework, that integrates multiple representations and local cultural contexts into problem-based learning within a flipped classroom. The framework was designed to support meaningful, contextual mathematics learning by organising instructional activities into at-home and in-class phases and was supplemented by digital learning resources. This study employed a research and development methodology based on the ADDIE instructional design approach. The feasibility of the proposed framework was evaluated through expert validation and student perception following classroom implementation. The results indicated that the proposed framework was highly feasible, with an expert validation score of 88.6%. In addition, student responses also showed very positive perceptions of the learning process, with an average of 80.50%. These findings suggest that the IMR-CPBFL framework has strong pedagogical potential for fostering meaningful, in-depth, contextual, and student-centered mathematics learning. This research advances mathematics education by offering a structured instructional framework that combines multiple representations and local cultural contexts into problem-based learning within a flipped classroom setting.