Exploring Turkish parents’ lived experiences on online science lessons of their children with mild intellectual disability amid the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Background: The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore Turkish parents’ lived experiences on online science lessons of their children with mild intellectual disability amid COVID-19 pandemic. Method: This study used the phenomenological qualitative research design. Participants in this study were 16 parents, who have children with mild intellectual disability and participated in one-on-one semi-structured phone calls. Interview data were thematically analyzed. Result: Five overarching themes were found: (1) parents’ general experiences on online science lessons, (2) advantages of online science lessons, (3) disadvantages of online science lessons, (4) barriers in online science lessons, and (5) parents’ recommendations for online science lessons. Conclusion: The results revealed that the majority of parents agreed on the school closure policy due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but were not satisfied with the online science lessons, and focused on the disadvantages of online science lessons for their children with mild intellectual disability.