43 1 INTRODUCTION When planning & delivering science lessons in a classroom setting or an online/ blended mode, it is important that science teachers are provided with a specific methodology to follow, in order to effectively involve their students in the learning process, stimulate their motivation and interest and achieve the expected outcome. By investigating and identifying challenging issues and best practices related to online or offline teaching & learning of science, the educational community can modify and support effective strategies. In this context, the current report, prepared under a twoyear Erasmus+ project called “OTA – Online Teaching Advancement: Science Through Art” explores the state-of-the-art in online or offline teaching & learning of science (Math, Chemistry, Physics) in primary and secondary schools at a national & European level. It unveils the main challenges that emerge during the delivery of offline or online science lessons and the effectiveness of the practices, methods, and approaches followed up to now. The study is directed by the following research questions: a) What kind of challenges teachers face when teaching science in a classroom setting? In what different social contexts these challenges are occurring? b) Are they related to the specific social context that the OTA project investigates (namely the emergency of online teaching & learning due to Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on teachers and students)? c) Do these challenges differ from country to country? Do they correlate with the needs analysis conducted as part of the OTA Project – IO1? Through a systematic literature review, the research team provides answers to the above questions, forming a coherent pedagogical framework. As a result, the project’s consortium will be better prepared to design appropriate material, resources, guidelines, and recommendations that will respond to the needs of primary and secondary science teachers, in order to effectively teach their subjects online or offline with the use of art as a tool to combat main challenges such as demotivation, lack of interest and isolation. 2 METHODOLOGY We conducted a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) to examine the state-of-the-art of online or offline teaching of science at primary and secondary schools on the national and the European level. For research purposes, we accessed e-databases and examined various articles. The keywords used for the research were the following: online teaching, online learning, distance education, science education, challenges of science teachers, science in schools, Covid-19. To limit the results and choose the appropriate studies, we applied the following inclusion criteria:
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