Unfamiliar Territory: Teaching Children Science in the UK’s First National Lockdown

When UK schools were locked down in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most teachers had no experience of remote education, and parents were compelled to facilitate education in the home. Through the twin lenses of teachers’ and parents’ experiences, this thesis presents a detailed account of how science education was provided remotely for schoolchildren in the UK during the first ever national lockdown, from March to July 2020. Focusing particularly on the role of digital technology in this provision, it addresses an acknowledged shortage of UK-based subject-specific research into school teaching during this period. Representing both primary and secondary school contexts, 139 teachers and 76 parents participated in a mixed methods study comprising surveys and semistructured interviews. Key findings generated from quantitative and thematic analyses show that apart from effects on practical work, most aspects of remote science education reported by teachers and parents were generic rather than subject-specific. Experiences for both groups varied considerably, however, revealing a complex interplay of factors. Educational provision relied heavily on the internet, but implementation was often problematic, highlighting numerous issues such as gaps in teachers’ knowledge and pupils’ access to technology. Despite challenges, innovation was possible and educational benefits were reported. This study has implications across several domains: emergency planning in schools, evolution of the mainstream science curriculum, conceptualisation of high-quality remote science education for children, post-pandemic trends in science practical work in schools, and parental involvement in children’s science education. By revealing pre-existing issues that proved challenging in a remote education context, the research raises important policy questions regarding ICT teaching in schools and equitable provision of digital devices to teachers. Given that the pandemic represented a major disruptive event that profoundly influenced educational practice and catalysed innovation, future research should examine whether and how science teaching policy and practice have been shaped in the longer term. The study makes a significant contribution to knowledge by its school-centric, subject-specific focus and rich qualitative evidence, generated using mixed methods. It thus complements a literature field predominantly characterised by quantitative data drawn from non subject-specific and higher education contexts.