Science Teaching Excites Medical Interest: A Qualitative Inquiry of Science Education during the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic
The national or local lockdowns in response to COVID-19 forced education systems to rapidly shift from in-person to distance learning. The hasty transition undoubtedly imposed tremendous challenges on teachers, students and distance learning infrastructure. The purpose of this study was to investiga...
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doaj-25c7a313d9e1477485d16e97fa3613fb2021-03-26T00:01:10ZengMDPI AGEducation Sciences2227-71022021-03-011114814810.3390/educsci11040148Science Teaching Excites Medical Interest: A Qualitative Inquiry of Science Education during the 2020 COVID-19 PandemicXiaoshan Z. Gordy0Wesley Sparkmon1Hyllore Imeri2Andrew Notebaert3Marie Barnard4Caroline Compretta5Erin Dehon6Juanyce Taylor7Stephen Stray8Donna Sullivan9Robin W. Rockhold10Department of Health Sciences, School of Health Related Professions, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS 39047, USADepartment of Pharmacy Administration, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677, USADepartment of Pharmacy Administration, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677, USADepartment of Neurobiology and Anatomical Sciences, School of Graduate Studies, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS 39047, USADepartment of Pharmacy Administration, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677, USADepartment of Preventive Medicine, School of Population Health, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS 39047, USADepartment of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS 39047, USAOffice of Diversity and Inclusion, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS 39047, USADepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS 39047, USADepartment of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS 39047, USAOffice of Academic Affairs, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS 39047, USAThe national or local lockdowns in response to COVID-19 forced education systems to rapidly shift from in-person to distance learning. The hasty transition undoubtedly imposed tremendous challenges on teachers, students and distance learning infrastructure. The purpose of this study was to investigate how high school science teachers who had previously been trained in flipped-learning and advanced educational technology through the Science Teaching Excites Medical Interest (STEMI) program perceived their transition to distance learning during this pandemic. In this study eleven teachers were interviewed with a semi-structured interview guide. Data were analyzed using the deductive-inductive content analytic approach. Our results indicated that teachers reported having more confidence in using technology for teaching online due in part to their participation in the STEMI program. They also reported internet access as one of the most significant barriers, both for students and teachers. While some teachers thought that students may feel more in control of learning due to absence of time and place limits with distance learning, others may struggle to stay engaged without the classroom support they would normally have received. Teachers generally experienced increased workloads and harder work–life balance with online teaching. In spite of the unforeseen challenges, the pandemic situation afforded teachers with opportunities to adopt different technology in teaching and foresee the need for technology integration in order to better prepare for the unexpected in the future.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/11/4/148COVID-19 pandemicdistance learningscience teachersonline teachingtechnologyqualitative |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Xiaoshan Z. Gordy Wesley Sparkmon Hyllore Imeri Andrew Notebaert Marie Barnard Caroline Compretta Erin Dehon Juanyce Taylor Stephen Stray Donna Sullivan Robin W. Rockhold |
spellingShingle |
Xiaoshan Z. Gordy Wesley Sparkmon Hyllore Imeri Andrew Notebaert Marie Barnard Caroline Compretta Erin Dehon Juanyce Taylor Stephen Stray Donna Sullivan Robin W. Rockhold Science Teaching Excites Medical Interest: A Qualitative Inquiry of Science Education during the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic Education Sciences COVID-19 pandemic distance learning science teachers online teaching technology qualitative |
author_facet |
Xiaoshan Z. Gordy Wesley Sparkmon Hyllore Imeri Andrew Notebaert Marie Barnard Caroline Compretta Erin Dehon Juanyce Taylor Stephen Stray Donna Sullivan Robin W. Rockhold |
author_sort |
Xiaoshan Z. Gordy |
title |
Science Teaching Excites Medical Interest: A Qualitative Inquiry of Science Education during the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic |
title_short |
Science Teaching Excites Medical Interest: A Qualitative Inquiry of Science Education during the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic |
title_full |
Science Teaching Excites Medical Interest: A Qualitative Inquiry of Science Education during the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic |
title_fullStr |
Science Teaching Excites Medical Interest: A Qualitative Inquiry of Science Education during the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic |
title_full_unstemmed |
Science Teaching Excites Medical Interest: A Qualitative Inquiry of Science Education during the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic |
title_sort |
science teaching excites medical interest: a qualitative inquiry of science education during the 2020 covid-19 pandemic |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Education Sciences |
issn |
2227-7102 |
publishDate |
2021-03-01 |
description |
The national or local lockdowns in response to COVID-19 forced education systems to rapidly shift from in-person to distance learning. The hasty transition undoubtedly imposed tremendous challenges on teachers, students and distance learning infrastructure. The purpose of this study was to investigate how high school science teachers who had previously been trained in flipped-learning and advanced educational technology through the Science Teaching Excites Medical Interest (STEMI) program perceived their transition to distance learning during this pandemic. In this study eleven teachers were interviewed with a semi-structured interview guide. Data were analyzed using the deductive-inductive content analytic approach. Our results indicated that teachers reported having more confidence in using technology for teaching online due in part to their participation in the STEMI program. They also reported internet access as one of the most significant barriers, both for students and teachers. While some teachers thought that students may feel more in control of learning due to absence of time and place limits with distance learning, others may struggle to stay engaged without the classroom support they would normally have received. Teachers generally experienced increased workloads and harder work–life balance with online teaching. In spite of the unforeseen challenges, the pandemic situation afforded teachers with opportunities to adopt different technology in teaching and foresee the need for technology integration in order to better prepare for the unexpected in the future. |
topic |
COVID-19 pandemic distance learning science teachers online teaching technology qualitative |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/11/4/148 |
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