The Pedagogical and Technological Experiences of Science Teachers in Using the Virtual Lab to Teach Science in Rural Secondary Schools in South Africa

Introduction

Science is a discipline of experimental evidence and inquiry where knowledge and comprehension of its concepts rely on the perception of natural phenomena. Among many researchers in science education, Lee and Sulaiman (2018), Aliyu and Talib (2019), Teig (2021), Lupp et al. (2021), and Destino et al. (2021) showed that resorting to laboratory experiments is one of the most effective ways to make understanding difficult and abstract concepts easier and clearer. According to Gyllenpalm et al. (2021), science learning can be effective when laboratory experiments become a central part of the science curriculum. This is because laboratory activities are the primary source of scientific knowledge, skills, and attitudes (Faour & Ayoubi, 2018; Makarova & Pavlicheva, 2021; Valls-Bautista et al., 2021). Gambari et al. (2017) asserted that learners learn better when they measure, touch, feel, manipulate, draw, record, interpret data, and make their own conclusions. In South Africa, like in many other developing countries, the curriculum and policy directs that learners must be able to plan and carry out investigations that require some practical ability in science subjects.

While real experimentation with conventional lab apparatus and equipment is greatly desired, most rural schools in South Africa, particularly in the Eastern Cape province, face limited resources, especially financial resources, to acquire and maintain lab equipment and infrastructure. Beck and Blumer (2021); Edwards et al. (2021), Mtsi and Maphosa (2016), and Tsakeni et al. (2019) reported that science learning has been restrained by the deficiency or inadequacy of laboratory equipment in most schools. From this viewpoint, it is imperative to explore new unconventional alternative laboratory environments where teachers and learners can conduct the required experiments while achieving the pedagogical objectives of science curricula. With the current advancement in the use of technology as the “new normal,” a symbiotic relationship has emerged between the fields of science education and (information and communication technology) ICT in education. This has resulted in the proliferation of new technologies in teaching and learning. One of the novel technological advancements in the teaching and learning of science is the use of Virtual Lab (VL). VL is a simulated version of a traditional laboratory in which the learner is provided with instruments that are virtual representations of real objects used in traditional laboratories (Lestari & Supahar, 2020). This means that, with VL, the building and physical lab tools are transformed into software applications. Currently, free VLs are available for schools to use and do not need school Internet infrastructure.

With the aforementioned challenges faced by most rural schools, the authors conducted this interventionist study in which they sought to gain insights into the experiences of rural science teachers in making use of the VL technology to mediate learning of science practical experiments. This is important, because teachers’ experiences in using educational technologies are often the key determinants for if and how they would integrate (or not) any technology tools in their pedagogic practices. This study, therefore, aims to illuminate and advance the new understanding of rural science teachers’ experiences in teaching with the VL within the context of rural and resource-constrained secondary schools. Particularly, the study is guided by the research question: What are science teachers’ pedagogical and technological experiences in using the VL to mediate science learning through scientific experiments? To foreground the response to the research question, the authors start the paper by reviewing the literature related to the topic, and then they present the conceptual framework that guides the study. The subsequent sections focus on research methodology, data collection, findings of the study, and discussion of the findings. Lastly, the authors end the paper by the conclusion and recommendations.