The Implications of Physical Distancing during COVID-19 for Education Researchers

Physical distancing, isolation and an absence of face-to-face meetings with participants and respondents, as ramifications of the current COVID-19 pandemic, have an adverse effect on research projects, research processes and data generation. Furthermore, researchers' professional development and career prospects are seriously hampered, most notably those of early career academics. These predicaments considerably outweigh the admitted positive effects of the pandemic on research endeavours. The literature sources consulted were published in 2020 and 2021. This paper therefore can merely claim to reflect an early 2021 cross-cut of the rapidly developing pandemic and its influence on higher education, and specifically research. This paper represents a scenario where the focus has shifted from the 2020 lockdowns and travel restrictions to the 2021 vaccination period. It explores the implications of physical distancing -- the relative absence of unhindered personal contact -- in the sphere of research in general, and especially research in education contexts. A literature survey generated several insights from scholars worldwide, while personal experience also forms part of the discussion. As indicated by the literature, researchers have to make the most of the current virtual communication during data generation, conferences and interaction with colleagues and fellow project participants. I trust that vaccination will soon ensure that physical distancing will become unnecessary during research and on the campus. [For the complete Volume 19 proceedings, see ED613922.]