Rachael S. Burke, Chrissie Keepa, Silence in the Shadows: Reflections on Student Participation in Research on Te Reo Māori and Te Tiriti Commitments in Aotearoa New Zealand, Kōtuitui New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online, 2026, 21, e70033.
https://doi.org/10.1002/kot2.70033
Abstract
This article offers a critical and reflexive analysis of a research process conducted at a tertiary institute in Aotearoa New Zealand, with a particular focus on how participation and non-participation shape understandings of teaching, learning, and te reo Māori development in initial teacher education. Drawing on data generated through the original study, the article re-examines the research process itself as a site of inquiry. Undertaken by staff at Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology, the original research sought to interrogate the pedagogical strategies used to support student learning of te reo Māori and their preparedness to uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi and to question whose knowledges and voices are legitimised in classroom spaces. However, an unexpected pattern of participation, where 83% of students did not respond, became a central analytical focus for this article. Rather than treating this as a methodological failure, the article interprets non-participation as a meaningful outcome that reflects the complex interplay of institutional, cultural, and relational dynamics. Drawing on Foucault’s theory of power and knowledge, this reflection looks at how power operates as a network of relations shaping what is heard, who speaks, and what is silenced. The research process became a site of critical inquiry, prompting teaching staff to reconsider assumptions about language, identity, and student engagement while also highlighting the conditions under which student voice is enabled or constrained. This article contributes to ongoing conversations about decolonising tertiary education, highlighting the ethical and pedagogical importance of attending to silence, power, and participation in both teaching and research practices.
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