Physics instructors’ teaching experiences in pre and during Covid-19 times: A quantitative inquiry for insights in the Saudi context

Abstract

Teachers have reported a range of experiences that came in the offing with the switch of the academic world to tech-based means in the Covid-19 times. This study explores the teaching experiences of Physics teachers in the pre and during Covid-19 pandemic era in the Saudi context. It employs a qualitative design by interviewing 15 physics teachers in a Saudi University. Data analysis was based on coding, categorization, and thematic study. Participants are eleven male and three female PhD holders and one female teaching assistant, at the College of Sciences and Arts, Methnab, Qassim University. Results showed that successful strategies in teaching physics before Covid-19 are face-to-face interaction, proper constructive dialogue between teachers and students, and fair evaluation of performance and outputs. Looking deeper at the responses of the teachers about the specific teaching strategies which can develop knowledge, cognitive skills, interpersonal skills, and communication skills of the students before and during the Covid-19 era, and whether online or face to face teaching is more effective, it is seen that teachers believe that the mode is not. A key factor in Physics teaching but the zeal and interest of the teachers in their subject makes a difference. From a meta-perspective, it is shown that educational research may assist bridge the sometimes-present divide between physics education and the physics faculty. The study is unique in that it investigates an issue not robustly researched in pure science in the Saudi context, and thus, it addresses a gap in the available knowledge while addressing a pertinent aspect of Physics education.