When originally introduced in Swedish schools, technology was taught as a purely practical subject. However, along with the technological development of society, the technology school subject has changed as well. For example, nowadays, a deeper theoretical knowledge and skills in digital technology are required. The practical moments have also changed accordingly, and the pandemic has made the teaching of technology even more challenging. The purpose of this study was to describe how, according to a smaller group of technology teachers, the pandemic has changed the teaching of the practical moments. The questions cover the extent and the changes of the practical moments of technology teaching as well as the consequences there of for the students during the pandemic. A qualitative phenomenographic approach was used. Semistructured interviews were conducted with eight technology teachers at lower secondary school level. The study shows that according to the teachers interviewed, it has been possible to conduct the theoretical teaching in a satisfactory manner, and that the extent of the practical moments in technology classes has been reduced during the pandemic. The study also shows that the expansion of the theoretical teaching has led to reduced motivation and commitment as well as greater difficulties for low-achieving students. Moreover, the study supports the digitalization of the teaching of practical moments in the form of virtual laboratory experiments and digital models, with good results regarding the students’ learning outcomes, provided that there is a clear connection between the theoretical and the practical moments. However, for what concerns motivation and the possibility to develop physical skills that can only be obtained through physical experiences, digital laboratory experiments cannot replace regular physical practical moments entirely. Therefore, a well-equipped technology classroom is a fundamental prerequisite for ensuring qualitative technology teaching.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:kau-90548 |
| Date | January 2022 |
| Creators | Aronsson, Cecilia |
| Publisher | Karlstads universitet |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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