Exploring the Impact of COVID-19 on Greeting Behaviours in Education Through a Lens of Relational Engagement

Abstract

Various impacts of COVID-19 have been explored throughout the literature; however, no research has yet considered the impact of COVID-19 on greetings in education. This paper represents an attempt to address this gap. Using a lens of Relational Engagement, this paper explores the findings of a recent survey (n = 67) that asked how teachers have historically greeted students and how they will go about doing so upon return to a physical classroom space. Findings suggest that COVID-19 has significantly impacted teachers’ beliefs about greetings in the context of education, that teachers’ greeting behaviours are likely to change, and that it is possible if not likely that many teachers may experience various intra- and interpersonal conflicts when they next encounter students face-to-face.