Teaching Using a Face Protection Mask: How Students of 6-15 Years Old Perceive Their Teachers’ Expressing Emotions during the Teaching Procedure

Abstract

One of the basic measures to prevent the Covid-19 infection is the use of a face protection mask by students and teachers in school premises and, mainly, in teaching. A question, however, is whether the covered part of the face is a barrier to the recognition of the expressed emotions of the wearer, a fact that may affect communication and interaction in teaching. On this basis, this article attempts to investigate how 6-15 year olds perceive the emotions of persons wearing a face protection mask. The research was conducted using the Case Study method and an “Emotion Recognition Sheet” in 1st, 3rd & 5th grade of Greek Primary School and in the first three Grades of secondary school (Gymnasium). The participant students were asked to observe photos of adult persons wearing a face mask and then to recognize the emotions of the presented adults. The research findings revealed a 62% failure of the students in recognizing emotions. This fact highlights the need to develop a teaching proposal to deal with this situation, in order to strengthen students’ communication ability, which is a key factor in achieving effective learning.