Introduction
People have been wearing masks as a precautionary measure against COVID-19 in all public places around the world since 2020. It also applies to schools, colleges, and universities, which impacts students’ perceptions of their peers. One’s hypothesis is that masks negatively affect students’ communication perception of each other. The reason for this is formulated by a closed face, thus, it is difficult for one to identify the emotions of another. To some extent, it affects the subconscious perception of both external information and social connections. This is the importance of visual facial emotions as a signal of a person’s feelings and reactions to certain situations.
Variables
The variables involved in the work are divided into dependent and independent, and the latter always affects the former. The study of the current issue is based on a survey of students about the chosen topic and data related to the current issue. Thus, the variables will include the number of students surveyed and the number of students who gave positive or negative answers. Furthermore, the variables will include the percentage of positive and negative responses and replying of an uncertain nature. Thus, the independent variables will include the number of students surveyed and their responses. Among the dependent variables will be the percentage of positive and negative answers and the percentage of uncertain answers.
Operational definitions
The process of operationalization of variables formulates the theoretical relevance of the study. This process involves conceptualization based on the theoretical foundation. Thereby, in the study of the current issue, one should conduct a theoretical examination and draw conclusions based on the variables. The theoretical basis of the chosen question is formulated by the importance of the emotional perception of peers, which is impossible because of masks that cover almost the entire face. Thus, it can be concluded that masks negatively impact students’ perceptions of their peers.
Procedure
The selection of participants will be based on online databases, which will have the necessary research results. However, one may conduct the research oneself using online surveys. The selection criteria for participants will be the age and places of study, thus, the location should be a public place (not individual learning). Speaking about what will happen in the study, one can distinguish several stages. The first stage will be introductory, thus presenting information and variables. Further, it will be necessary to conduct a study (or analyze the results of existing studies). Finally, the final stage will be formulated by summing up the results of the previous stages.
Ethics
Each research should be based on certain ethical guidelines that formulate the moral aspects of the study. Thus, one may distinguish the two main ethical guidelines in the current study. The first practice will be based on respect for people’s privacy, confidentiality, and dignity. In other words, all confidential information will not be published, moreover, all results will be based on anonymity. The second guideline formulates minimizing harms and risks and maximizing benefits. Thus, the study should not cause any harm to the study participants or any other groups.
Conclusions
The conclusions that can be drawn after studying this issue may be divided into two parts. The first part implies the theoretical foundation of this issue, namely, information about how masks affect the emotional perception of peers and each other. The second part is constituted by the results of the study, namely the number of positive, negative, and indeterminate answers.