Can te ao Māori worldviews exist within a western institute’s online teaching and learning environment?

Abstract

Tertiary institutions in Aotearoa (New Zealand) offer students online teaching and learning papers across a variety of disciplines. The purpose of this research was to examine whether online teaching and learning environments in a tertiary institute provide opportunities to create conditions that promote te ao Māori (a Māori world view) aspirations for Māori scholars. Following a critical review of selected literature on how technologies and its pedagogical implications can realise cultural, educational, political and social aspirations in an online environment (see Chapter 2), the ethical practices according to Kaupapa Māori theory methodology, whakawhanaungatanga and spiral discourse is outlined (see Chapter 3). These practices together with spiral discourse and conversation analysis, were used to analyse the factors that facilitated or hindered optimal conditions that promoted teacher and student aspirations in the online environment (see Chapter 4). That analysis, conducted in relation to a number of focus points, revealed that when Māori practices of tikanga and ako pedagogy were applied in this realm, Māori scholars experienced the fulfilment of personal aspirations. Participants also experienced positive outcomes when whanaungatanga, the creation of interrelationships relationships between Māori students and teachers, whānau, friends, colleagues, was a focus together with good support facilities and services, and quality resources. This research supports the conclusion that online teaching and learning environments in a tertiary institute can provide opportunities to create conditions that promote te ao Māori aspirations for Māori scholars. Further investigations are needed to unravel the types and nature of the interrelationships between ako Māori pedagogies and the student and teacher, and whanaungatanga between students and other students that facilitate conditions that promoted Māori aspirations in an online environment.