Learning science with YouTube videos and the impacts of Covid-19

This study investigates student and teacher use of online instructional YouTube chemistry videos in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. Data were collected from a global sample of students (n = 1147) subscribed to the first author’s popular chemistry education YouTube channel. Participants were in secondary school or college and reported having learned science in a variety of contexts including completely online, blended, or completely in-person. The data collection instrument, an online questionnaire, was designed to detect both quantitative and qualitative changes in the use of instructional video. In addition, statistics for the overall YouTube chemistry education channel for 2018 through 2021 were compiled to provide evidence of video viewing trends with a large sample (98.6 million video views) over a timeframe encompassing before and during the Covid-19 pandemic. Findings indicate that students’ personal use of video for learning science increased substantially during the pandemic. However, for the majority of teachers, the use of video to support online learning during the pandemic either remained the same or declined. Post-pandemic, students plan to continue using science videos for learning and want teachers to do the same.