Integration of COVID-19 Pandemic in Teaching Middle School Biology

Abstract

Scientific literacy is a major goal of school science education in different parts of the world, including Lebanon. One way of developing scientific literacy includes addressing socioscientific issues in science classrooms. Socioscientific issues are open-ended controversial issues related to science and influenced by other factors such as economics, ethics, and politics. Currently, one of the world’s controversial socioscientific issues is COVID-19 pandemic. Pandemics are not solely a function of pathogens but also a consequence of change in society’s structure and performance. This pandemic should be taken as an opportunity to prepare scientifically literate citizens who can take responsible decisions. However, previous research shows that COVID-19 is mainly addressed as a pathogen to treat rather than an opportunity to bring it into school science classrooms as an important socioscientific issue. This study uses multiple case studies to explore how grade 8 biology teachers integrate the topic of COVID-19 pandemic within the context of an immunology unit, and to understand the extent to which they address it as a socioscientific issue. The participants were five grade 8 biology teachers from five private schools in Beirut, Lebanon. Qualitative data sources including semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and teacher lesson plans were utilized. Data from transcribed interview responses, lesson plans, observational protocol, and the researcher’s journal were analyzed using qualitative thematic analysis as well as triangulated. The findings of this study revealed that the participating grade 8 biology teachers integrated COVID-19 pandemic upon teaching the immunology unit but were not aware of teaching COVID-19 as a socioscientific issue. The results showed that mainly the health aspect of teaching COVID-19 as a socioscientific issue was tackled in the participants’ classrooms. Although this study is limited to five middle school science teachers in Lebanon, the findings raise recommendations for future research.