The potential effects of COVID-19 on research interviews in Year 2 of the Master of Applied Indigenous Knowledge programme at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa in Māngere

Abstract

COVID-19 has made it difficult for researchers to engage in traditional qualitative data collection methods, such as interviews because physical distancing is required to prevent the spread of the virus (Dodds & Hess, 2020; Roy & Uekusa, 2020). The effects of COVID-19 on qualitative research methods means that researchers must develop and use a “variety of creative, innovative and unconventional strategies” (Roy & Uekusa, 2020, n.p) as “distance approaches to collecting qualitative data” (Taster, 2020, p. 8). In the Master of Applied Indigenous Knowledge (MAIK) programme taught at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa in Māngere, students have typically used interviews as a method of generating data for analysis. COVID-19 means that students must be prepared to conduct the interviews required for their research in quite different ways. This may include social distancing measures, the use of hand sanitiser and face masks, the avoidance of handshaking and hongi (see Rangiwai, 2020), and other health recommendations. It may also mean forgoing in-person interviews for online ones. This paper will briefly explain the MAIK programme and the potential effects of COVID-19 on the interviews process. This article will argue that if online interviews are to take place, they must be done in a culturally appropriate manner.