Equity in teaching science during times of crisis: a study with Portuguese science teachers.

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Publisher: Springer Country of Publication: Netherlands NLM ID: 101584943 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Print ISSN: 1871-1502 (Print) Linking ISSN: 18711502 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Cult Stud Sci Educ

Original Publication: [Dordrecht] : Springer, 2006-

This work aims to examine how science teachers ensured equity during the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants are six science teachers who were teaching in different middle schools within the Lisbon district. Their classes were heterogeneous, with students from different socio-economic backgrounds and ethnicities, and with diverse levels of motivation to learn science and in their academic performance in science. Data were collected through written reflections and interviews. In a crisis context such as COVID-19, which affected schools worldwide, the study contributes to deepening our knowledge about equity during crisis, presenting several measures taken by teachers to deal with the pandemic. Teachers gave instructions to their students to attend classes through public television, which was accessible to the entire population, and developed complementary materials on it. Also, they created moments of individualized support to face situations of inequity, using distance learning platforms or other means of communication. Teachers built and implemented activities that value hands-on and problem solving, enabling their students to achieve academic success. We believe this paper allows the science education community to reflect on possibilities to ensure equity in the context of unpredictable crises.
(© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2022, Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)

Int J Early Child. 2020;52(2):145-158. (PMID: 32836369)

Keywords: COVID-19; Equity; Online teaching and learning; Science education; Teaching science

Date Created: 20230123 Latest Revision: 20240216

20240216

PMC9838305

10.1007/s11422-022-10141-4

36685109