Drawing on student approaches to learning research, this study combined both self-reported and process data to examine: (1) the extent of the alignment between the self-reported and process data of the profiles of 179 Chinese university students' learning experience in the flipped classrooms and (2) the contributions of the self-reported and process data of students' learning experience to their academic performance. Two groups of students with contrasting learning experiences were identified. One group reported a more desirable learning experience (cohesive conceptions of learning theoretical mechanics, deep approaches in both face-to-face and online learning, and positive perceptions of both the human and non-human elements of the learning environments in the course). Another group had a poorer learning experience (fragmented conceptions, using surface approaches, and perceiving a lack of peer online interaction and not appraising online design of the course site). The students self-reporting better and poorer learning experiences, however, only differed in frequency of participation in the pre-lecture quizzes, demonstrating weak alignment between the self-reported and process data. The hierarchical regression analyses revealed that including both self-reported and process data significantly increased the variance explained in students' academic performance.