Harnessing Video Technology For Data Gathering In Educational Research: Reflections From A Kaupapa Maori Approach

Te Hurinui Karaka-Clarke EdD, Associate Professor of Education, The University of Waikato

In recent years, the integration of educational technology into research methodologies has expanded significantly. Among these technologies, video has emerged as a powerful tool for data gathering, offering rich, dynamic and layered insights into participant experiences. In the context of Kaupapa Māori research and indigenous methodologies more broadly, video technology offers unique opportunities for participants to maintain agency over their narratives while embodying principles such as mana motuhake (self-determination) and whanaungatanga (relational accountability).

This article reflects on the use of video to gather data from participants in a study tracing ancestral pathways from Rarotonga to Aotearoa. Drawing from this experience, it explores the advantages and challenges of using video as a method of educational data collection and how this approach can enhance student learning, particularly within culturally sustaining frameworks.

The Role of Video in Educational Research

Video recordings enable the capture of multimodal data — not just words, but gestures, intonation, emotional nuance, environmental context and non-verbal communication. This richness is especially valuable in educational settings, where learning, identity and interaction are complex, layered phenomena.

For indigenous and Kaupapa Māori research contexts, video aligns well with oral and visual traditions, where storytelling, waiata, karakia and embodied practices carry knowledge. It offers a way to gather data that reflects the lived, relational and spiritual dimensions of experience, which are often flattened in traditional written methods.

“Video technology offers a powerful tool for gathering authentic data, respecting participants' agency and capturing the relational dimensions of learning”

In the study informing this discussion, participants selfrecorded video reflections following their educational journey to Rarotonga. This method allowed narrators to control the setting, tone, language and framing of their narratives, thus maintaining the integrity and authenticity of their experiences.

Benefits of Using Video for Data Gathering

1. Participant Empowerment and Autonomy: Video methods empower participants to tell their own stories, on their own terms. They can choose the time, location, language and pace of their reflection. This autonomy ensures that participants feel comfortable and respected, promoting more authentic and in-depth sharing that aligns with Kaupapa Māori principles of self-determination.

2. Richness and Nuance of Data: Unlike traditional interviews that capture only verbal responses, video captures facial expressions, gestures, emotional pauses and the environmental context. This multi-layered data provides researchers with deeper insight into the participant's experiences and emotions, enhancing the authenticity and depth of the collected narratives.

3. Alignment with Indigenous Epistemologies: Many Indigenous knowledge systems value oral traditions and relational storytelling. Video supports these epistemologies by allowing stories to be told visually and aurally, preserving cultural nuances, rituals and expressions that are often lost in purely written accounts.

4. Flexibility and Accessibility: Video allows participants to record reflections at their convenience, removing the need to coordinate fixed meeting times. It also overcomes geographical barriers, making it easier to engage participants who are in remote or dispersed locations, thus promoting broader participation.

5. Support for Reflective Learning: Creating a video reflection encourages participants to engage in deeper personal and critical reflection. Speaking to a camera often prompts individuals to articulate and process their thoughts and feelings more thoughtfully, enhancing the overall learning experience.

Disadvantages and Challenges of Using Video

1. Technical and Logistical Issues: Participants may face difficulties operating recording devices or may not have access to suitable technology. Issues such as poor sound quality, unstable footage, or trouble uploading large video files can hinder the effectiveness and reliability of the data collection process.

2. Privacy and Ethical Considerations: Video data inherently carries identifiable information. Ensuring participant consent, maintaining confidentiality, securely storing files and responsibly managing access to video content are essential to uphold ethical research standards, particularly when dealing with sensitive cultural knowledge.

3. Performance Pressure: Being recorded on video can make some participants feel self-conscious or anxious, potentially leading to less natural or inhibited narratives. Researchers must work to minimise performance pressure by reassuring participants that authenticity is valued over polished presentation.

4. Analysis Complexity: Analyzing video data requires attention not only to verbal content but also to non-verbal cues, emotional expressions and environmental context. This can significantly increase the time and complexity of the analysis process compared to traditional textual data.

5. Data Management and Storage: Video files are large and require substantial digital storage solutions. Researchers must have robust systems for file organisation, long-term archiving and protecting sensitive data to ensure ethical and efficient handling of video materials.

Supporting Student Learning through Video-Based Data Gathering

- Deep Reflection: By recording video narratives, students are encouraged to engage in critical self-reflection. They must think deeply about their experiences, analyse how these experiences have affected their personal and professional development and articulate these insights clearly. This reflective practice supports metacognitive skills and lifelong learning.

- Strengthening Identity: Through the process of narrating their journeys and reconnecting with whakapapa, students affirm and strengthen their cultural identities. Recording these reflections visually and verbally helps students solidify their understanding of who they are and where they come from, promoting confidence and cultural pride.

- Developing Digital Literacy: Creating and managing video recordings enhances students’ technological skills, including digital storytelling, basic editing and file management. These competencies are increasingly important in modern education and professional environments.

- Fostering Mana Motuhake: Empowering students to control their own narratives and learning processes fosters a strong sense of mana motuhake. This experience reinforces their agency, autonomy and ability to critically engage with their own educational journeys, aligning with Kaupapa Māori values.

- Encouraging Culturally Responsive Practice: Engaging with video storytelling rooted in cultural significance prepares students to incorporate similar methods into their future teaching practice. They learn to honour students’ diverse ways of knowing and being, fostering culturally sustaining and responsive pedagogies.

Implications for Future Educational Research and Practice

The integration of video technology into educational research and student learning offers exciting possibilities. However, its use must be guided by clear ethical frameworks, cultural responsiveness and technical support structures. Especially in indigenous contexts, researchers must move carefully, ensuring that the technology serves to enhance, not distort, the relational and spiritual dimensions of storytelling.

For educators, video reflections can be embedded into curricula not merely as assessment tools but as opportunities for deep learning, identity exploration and digital storytelling. As digital technologies become more pervasive, equipping students with the skills to critically and authentically use these tools becomes a core component of education for the 21st century.

Conclusion

Video technology, when used thoughtfully, offers a powerful and culturally aligned tool for gathering rich, authentic data in educational research. It respects participants’ agency, captures the emotional and relational dimensions of learning and supports reflective, transformative student experiences. However, its challenges must be navigated with care, ensuring that ethical, technical and cultural considerations are prioritised.

In tracing the ancestral pathways between Rarotonga and Aotearoa, the use of video allowed narrators to weave their voices, faces, emotions and landscapes into a tapestry of lived knowledge. As educational technology continues to evolve, it is these human, relational and cultural threads that must remain at the heart of our practice.

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Educational Technology

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