COVID- 19 pandemic and Online Teaching from the Lenses of K-12 STEM Teachers in Albania

The aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of the attitudes and challenges faced by STEM teachers during the implementation of online teaching in the midst of the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic. The approach involved collection and extraction of relevant data from two survey questionnaires. A sample size of 98 STEM teachers was recorded for the surveys. Responses were obtained from 98 STEM teachers working in different schools in Albania. The survey was comprised of two parts, namely teachers' preparedness for online teaching and teachers' pedagogical approaches in the online teaching. The results of the study revealed a general positive tendency towards the online learning and the integration of technological advances into young learner online classes. The results showed that although most teachers enjoyed the online teaching experience, they were unable to actively engage the young learners in the online classes. Moreover, teachers experienced issues with regard to classroom management and the design and management of online assessment tasks. The findings of this study encourage researchers to carry out further research on the utilisation of technological tools to increase young learners' active participation in STEM classes in the online platform. Finally, this study discusses pedagogical implications that emphasise the need for teachers' continuous professional development to benefit from technological advances and utilise them efficiently in online teaching.