Integrating video evidence in mixed methods research: Innovations, benefits, and challenges for research exploring how beliefs shape actions

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the benefits of using video evidence as a catalyst for innovative integration in mixed methods research. We illustrate how video data were used in the elicitation interviews of three teachers to understand their interpretations of how their beliefs align with their observed practices and how they attempted to reduce cognitive dissonance that became apparent during the video elicitation interviews. This article draws from the mixed methods case study phase of a larger explanatory sequential mixed methods study conducted in Jamaica with 248 secondary school teachers. A subsample of eight teachers participated in follow-up mixed methods case studies. Case study data were collected in the form of qualitative and quantitative observation data, video recordings, semi-structured interviews, and video elicitation interviews. The video elicitation interview increased credibility in the inferences drawn about how beliefs shaped actions by allowing the teachers to answer in a more conscious, reflective manner as they selected segments of the videos that they felt reflected their beliefs about teaching in terms of learner-centeredness and teacher-centeredness. All data for each case were integrated using joint display analysis. The findings revealed that teachers’ stated beliefs that their teaching practices were more student centered were not evident in the video data collected which resulted in cognitive dissonance for some teachers. The videos provided an opportunity for the researcher to understand the inconsistencies in the data and how the teachers dealt with dissonance between their beliefs and actions that would not have been afforded without the use of videos during the elicitation interview. Integrating video data in research into psychological constructs has implications for educational psychologists as well as mixed methods researchers. Future research on the use of video elicitation in research about beliefs versus actions can consider using this visual method over a longitudinal timeframe to see if the use of video elicitations prompts change in beliefs and/or actions.