Cataloging

An early form of analysis involves cataloging the video for the purpose of facilitating future revisitation. This is ideally done immediately following data collection, or may even be begun during collection, in instances where the researcher collects field notes or even begins coding through software like Studio Code during the very act of collecting the data. Though it may be tempting to postpone the kind of note-taking that facilitates such cataloging, particularly when events seem sufficiently memorable or when a round of data collection has proved especially exhausting, the future payoff that immediate notes provide in terms of facilitating future ability to locate and engage with the data is more than worth the effort (Kremer-Sadlik, 2014, personal communication).

Initial review and cataloging

Researchers may be inclined to go into great depth and detail in this initial cataloging phase, but Heath, Hindmarsh, and Luff (2010) caution moderation, as there is inevitably a give and take between the amount of time available for this initial stage and for the later work to come. Extensively detailed description is most likely premature before a greater sense of the whole is obtained. They suggest that this preliminary review should be limited to simple description and classification, so as not to detract from the more detailed analysis to come.

For studies of modest size review can be undertaken on paper or with a word processor,  but for studies involving more extensive collections of data the use of specialized software becomes essential.

Preliminary ways of reaching an overall impression of a video corpus can come through various intermediate representations of the video, such as:

 

Useful features to catalog

 Future users of video data may “inadvertently commit errors of selection bias – for example, treating a video corpus or clip as though it is a representative sample of practice when it is not…”

-Goldman, Erickson, Lemke, & Derry, 2007, p. 21

Documentation of when, where, and how video was collected should be permanently kept with the data for use by anyone who later selects from this data. The nature of the study and data will necessitate a particular structure to the catalog, but Heath, Hindmarsh, & Luff (2010) suggest that catalogs will typically include columns for:

  • specific units of activity
  • notes
  • reference to related materials such as documents and field notes
  • time reference points

 

Time stamps

Schatzman and Strauss (1973, cited in Hall, 2007) stress the utility of time-stamps in field notes which can be coordinated with locations in the recordings. When recording is made continuously, field notes referring to clock time will be sufficiently useful. Such notes and time-stamps can be collected into a searchable database that can act as a catalog (this is easily accomplished when the notes are initially taken by computer).

The more specific that time-stamps can be made, the better.

  • A time-stamp that is accurate within 5 seconds on the recording will make for much more efficient retrieval than a time-stamp within a minute, which would potentially require reviewing the entire minute or more to identify the event of interest.
  • Specific time-stamps make the pauses to retrieve particular clips minimally disruptive, thus facilitating ongoing analysis and discussion with co-researchers without loss of momentum.

 

References

Barron, B. (2007). Video as a tool to advance understanding of learning and development in peer, family and other informal learning contexts. In R. Goldman, R. Pea, B. Barron, and S. J. Derry (Eds.), Video research in the learning sciences (pp. 159-188). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Barron, B. & Engle, R. (2007). Analyzing data derived from video records. In S. Derry (Ed.), Guidelines for video research in education: Recommendations from an expert panel (pp. 24-33). Chicago: Data Research and Development Center.

Goldman, R., Erickson, F., Lemke, J., & Derry, S. (2007). Selection in video. In S. J. Derry (Ed.), Guidelines for video research in education: Recommendations from an expert panel (pp. 15-23). Chicago, IL: Data Research and Development Center.

Hall, R. (2007). Strategies for video recording: Fast, cheap, and (mostly) in control. In S. J. Derry (Ed.), Guidelines for video research in education: Recommendations from an expert panel (pp. 4-14). Chicago, IL: Data Research and Development Center.

Heath, C., Hindmarsh, J., & Luff, P. (2010). Video in qualitative research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Jewitt, C. (2012). National Centre for Research Methods Working Paper: An introduction to using video for research. National Centre for Research Methods.

Schatzman, L., & Strauss, A. L. (1973). Field research: Strategies for a natural sociology (pp. 94-107). New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.