The impact of COVID-19 on teachers' Restorative Justice in Education (RJE) practice in Newfoundland and Labrador

Lu, Min (2022) The impact of COVID-19 on teachers' Restorative Justice in Education (RJE) practice in Newfoundland and Labrador. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

COVID-19 brought significant challenges to education and Restorative Justice in Education (RJE) practices. This study examined how COVID-19 impacted teachers' RJE practices in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL). The research focused on the impact of COVID-19 in three aspects: teachers-student relationships, Circle practice and addressing harm and conflicts. Seven semi-structured interviews were conducted online with four NL teachers who had practiced RJE during COVID-19. The interview transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis. The results showed that teacher-student relationships and Circle practice were negatively impacted during COVID-19. RJE was rarely used to address harm and conflicts among students due to the lack of in-person social interactions. COVID-19 also brought opportunities to RJE practices, including improved relationships between some students and their teachers. The pandemic reiterated the importance of the comprehensive RJE implementation in schools. It revealed that the administration's understanding of RJE was the participants' most needed support for their RJE practices. The results indicated that a whole-school approach is essential to the successful implementation of RJE and it is necessary to develop RJE practices in virtual spaces in the future.

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