Use of masks inside the classrooms

Abstract

To counter the transmission of Covid -19 it is mandatory to wear face masks. Medical face masks (surgical or other medical devices) are used to control the spread of infection by reducing the airborne dispersion of the viral load-carrying saliva droplets emitted from the mouth when talking, sneezing or coughing. The use of the mask can cause fatigue, difficulty in breathing and reduced speech understanding. In school classrooms, the use of masks makes verbal communication very difficult by reducing speech understanding and this can affect both the learning level of pupils and cause vocal dysfunctions in teachers who incur an overload of the speech apparatus. To investigate the effects of using the mask in learning environments, tests were carried out with pupils of a primary school. The students were given dictations by a teacher according to two configurations: with and without a mask. Subsequently, the texts written by the children were analyzed to assess the presence of possible errors in the understanding of the dictation administered with and without a mask.

Impact of Using Facemasks on Literacy Learning: The Perception of Early Childhood Education Teachers

“…Numerous studies have shown that the use of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic has caused difficulties in children to adapt to them, problems of functional discomfort [ 10 ], compatibility with the use of glasses or breathing difficulties [ 26 , 36 ] and even psychological problems, such as anxiety or sadness [ 5 , 6 , 18 , 37 , 38 ]. Educators have warned about the negative influence that the use of facemasks has, in particular, on the proper development of children’s social life and their interaction with others [ 39 , 40 ], on the development of communication skills [ 13 , 21 ], on sound recognition and vocal self-perception [ 11 , 14 , 19 , 20 ], and on the development of speech skills [ 11 , 12 , 41 ].…”

“…After a period based on online teaching, especially in the early stages of the pandemic, the return to schools has meant the adoption of safety and hygiene measures to prevent the spread of the virus [ 9 ], highlighting the mandatory use of facemasks in enclosed spaces. These precautions have been treated to different extents depending on the educational level or specialty, with the exclusion of teachers, who have not been able to do without them [ 10 ]. This fact has led to a new challenge for the teaching–learning process due to the sound attenuation caused by the use of the facemask by the early childhood education teachers, but also due to the lack of visibility of a large part of the interlocutor’s face [ 11 ].…”