Physics teaching in Croatian elementary and high schools during the Covid-19 pandemic

Štibi, Ivana (author), Čepič, Mojca (author), Pavlin, Jerneja (author)

In spring 2020, 916 elementary schools and 443 high schools were closed in Croatia due to the Covid-19 pandemic and remote teaching was introduced. This had an impact on physics teaching as an experimental subject. In addition to positive aspects concealed in new experiences and work perspectives, the sudden transition from conventional face-to-face teaching to a remote format had an undeniable negative impact on physics teaching in elementary and high schools. In order to mitigate the effects and provide a detailed insight into the problems that arose during this transition, we conducted a quantitative study among teachers of physics in elementary and high schools in Croatia, with the aim of identifying logistical and technical problems and challenges in physics teaching during the Covid-19 pandemic. An online questionnaire with five parts (general data, teaching physics during the Covid-19 pandemic, experiments, sociological component, exchange of experience) was completed by 178 Croatian teachers. The results irrefutably point to the flexibility and responsiveness of physics teachers, an increase in the teachers’ workload, a lack of the experimental work that forms an essential part of the subject of physics, and a lack of teacher knowledge (in ICT), skills and equipment for conducting distance teaching. However, it also emerged that online teaching, if carefully designed and individualised, can stimulate additional commitment and interest in the subject among students. The paper presents the research findings in detail, with the aim of helping physics teachers to plan further teaching more effectively as and if the pandemic progresses.

• Language: English
• Keywords: Covid-19, distance teaching, experiments, physics, teachers’ views
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: PEF - Faculty of Education; FMF - Faculty of Mathematics and Physics
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2021
• Number of pages: Str. 335-360
• Numbering: Vol. 11, spec. iss.
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-132376
• UDC: 37.091.31:53
• ISSN on article: 2232-2647
• DOI: 10.26529/cepsj.1135
• COBISS.SI-ID: 81821699

Copyright

Podatek o licenci CC BY 4.0 je naveden na pristajalni strani članka (glej zgoraj izvorni URL). (Datum opombe: 15. 9. 2025)

• Publication date in RUL: 26.10.2021

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: CEPS journal : Center for Educational Policy Studies journal
• Publisher: Pedagoška fakulteta Univerze, Pedagoška fakulteta Univerze, Založba Univerze v Ljubljani, = University of Ljubljana Press
• ISSN: 2232-2647
• COBISS.SI-ID: 254029824

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Poučevanje fizike v hrvaških osnovnih in srednjih šolah med pandemijo covida-19

Abstract

Spomladi 2020 je bilo na Hrvaškem zaradi pandemije covida-19 zaprtih 916 osnovnih šol in 443 srednjih šol ter uvedeno poučevanje na daljavo. To je vplivalo na poučevanje fizike kot eksperimentalnega predmeta. Poleg pozitivnih vidikov, prikritih v novih izkušnjah in delovnih izzivih, je imel nenadni prehod od običajnega pouka v živo k pouku na daljavo nesporno negativen vpliv na pouk fizike v osnovnih in srednjih šolah. Da bi prikazali učinke in ponudili podroben vpogled v težave, ki so se pojavile med tem prehodom, smo izvedli kvantitativno raziskavo med učitelji fizike v osnovnih in srednjih šolah na Hrvaškem z namenom prepoznati logistične in tehnične težave ter izzive pri poučevanju fizike med pandemijo covida-19. Spletni anketni vprašalnik s petimi deli (splošni podatki, poučevanje fizike med pandemijo covida-19, eksperimenti, sociološki vidik, izmenjava izkušenj) je izpolnilo 178 hrvaških učiteljev. Rezultati kažejo na prilagodljivost in odzivnost učiteljev fizike, povečanje obremenitve učiteljev, zmanjšanje količine eksperimentalnega dela, ki je bistveni del predmeta fizika, ter pomanjkanje učiteljevega znanja, spretnosti in opreme za izvajanje pouka na daljavo. Izkazalo se je tudi, da lahko pouk na daljavo, če je skrbno zasnovan in individualiziran, spodbudi zanimanje za predmet fizika pri učečih se. Prispevek predstavlja izsledke raziskave z namenom učiteljem fizike pomagati načrtovati pouk učinkoviteje, če se bo pandemija nadaljevala.

• Keywords: eksperimenti, poučevanje na daljavo, covid-19