Reflection vs. Reflexivity

Alexander, P. A. (2017). Reflection and Reflexivity in Practice Versus in Theory: Challenges of Conceptualization, Complexity, and Competence. Educational Psychologist, 52(4), 307–314. https://discovery.ebsco.com/linkprocessor/plink?id=308ea135-92dd-35e4-868f-417f44183042

Main Points:

1. Development of Desirable Epistemic Habits:

   • Begins at the outset of professional development.

   • Learning goals and cognitive processes should focus on developing desirable epistemic habits of mind and practice.

   • Thought and planning about deep understanding and critical analytic abilities increases likelihood of students developing them.

2. Role of Verbal Interactions:

   • Core to learning and instruction.

   • Natural platform for externalizing and fostering understanding of knowledge and process of knowing.

3. Principles of Reflection and Reflexivity:

   • Reflection and reflexivity are not new concepts.

   • Directed to belief, cognition, and behaviors pertaining to knowledge and process of knowing.

   • Reflective practice and actions are cornerstones.

4. Conceptualization:

   • Educators need to reflect on epistemic aims and goals for instructions and assessments.

   • Clear understanding of reflection versus reflexivity is crucial.

   • Distinctions between information and knowledge are essential.

5. Complexity:

   • Reality of theoretical principles in educational practice.

   • Educational settings involve multiple aims and decisions guided by various concerns.

   • Grain size of educational aims affects instructional strategies.

6. Competence:

   • Disposition to engage in reasoning and practices formed by context.

   • Adaptive knowledge building or judging evidence according to disciplinary norms.

   • Acknowledging what educators are asked to accomplish is crucial for informed reflexivity.

7. Integration into Educational Practice:

   • Need to demonstrate how research can be tied to everyday classroom practices.

   • Incorporating theory and research into curriculum development and instructional practices is essential.

Reflections:

• Strengths:

  • Comprehensive analysis of the role of reflection and reflexivity in education.

  • Clear distinction between reflection and reflexivity.

  • Emphasis on the importance of contextual elements in fostering competence.

• Areas for Improvement:

  • Clarification on the practical implementation of theoretical principles.

  • Exploration of specific strategies for integrating epistemic habits into educational practice.

  • Consideration of potential barriers to implementing reflective practices in diverse educational settings.

Lyle, E. (2023). Prologue: Wading into reflexive inquiry. Of books, barns, and boardrooms: Exploring praxis through reflexive inquiry (pp. 1-5). Brill. https://discovery.ebsco.com/linkprocessor/plink?id=e3b6ddf6-7d96-3c46-ad95-447d6097d200

Main Points:

1. Introduction to Reflexive Inquiry:

   • Reflexive inquiry is described as emerging, fluid, and having multiple conceptualizations and varied applications.

   • It involves consciousness of the researcher's role and its effects on research and findings.

   • Raises questions about the nature of knowledge and challenges normalized assumptions about learning and research.

2. Contrast with Social Sciences:

   • Social sciences often prioritize quantitative and empirical approaches, but there's a need to understand critical qualitative inquiry.

   • Critical qualitative inquiry exposes assumptions, identifies problems, and suggests interventions, integral to exploring humanity and fostering equitable societies.

3. Evolution of Research Paradigms:

   • Historical overview of research paradigms from the 1980s to the present, highlighting debates between empiricism, interpretivism, and critical theory.

   • Ethically driven research has emerged, with functions including activism, informing social policy, and promoting positive transformation.

4. Forms of Reflexivity:

   • Various forms of reflexivity are explored, including participant, researcher, textual, positional, radical, aesthetic, personal, and transformative.

   • Positional reflexivity and transformative reflexivity are emphasized as critical components, demanding researcher accountability and promoting social change.

5. Narrative and Autographic Inquiry:

   • Narrative inquiry and autoethnography are introduced as methods for exploring lived experiences and professional practice.

   • Narrative analysis focuses on identifying patterns and perceptions, privileging the storyteller's perspective.

6. Intersection of Reflexive Inquiry, Autography, and Narrative Inquiry:

   • These methods intersect in the study of praxis, demanding critical interrogation of practice development and understanding the intersection of self and society.

   • Reflexive narrative is proposed as an autographic approach to critical thought, resulting in alternative approaches to understanding practitioners' experiences.

Reflections:

• Strengths:

  • Comprehensive overview of reflexive inquiry and its evolution in research paradigms.

  • Clear explanation of various forms of reflexivity and their significance in promoting social change.

  • Integration of narrative and autographic inquiry methods adds depth to the exploration of praxis.

• Areas for Improvement:

  • Further elaboration on specific examples or case studies illustrating the application of reflexive inquiry in diverse contexts.

  • Clarification on the practical implications of reflexive inquiry for practitioners and researchers.

  • Integration of additional theoretical frameworks or perspectives to enrich the discussion of reflexivity and inquiry methods.

Cunliffe, A. L. (2020). Reflexivity in teaching and researching organizational studies. RAE: Revista de Administração de Empresas, 60(1), 64–69. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0034-759020200108

• Reflexivity involves questioning taken-for-granted assumptions, practices, and policies to develop more critical and responsible approaches to intellectual strategies and practical activities. Criticism in the 90s challenged the notion of management as value-neutral, highlighting inequalities in social and organizational life. This led to the adoption of critical management education, incorporating reflexivity to develop more responsible approaches to management education.

• Reflection is the ability to deliberate on experiences to determine if there is enough evidence to make decisions. It involves cognitive processes such as analysis, synthesis, and empirical thinking. Reflection can occur either on action, involving retrospective evaluation, or in action, which involves spontaneous decision-making.

• Reflexivity goes beyond reflection, questioning underlying assumptions, ideologies, and norms that shape practices and policies. It examines how researchers construct and represent reality and how their assumptions impact behavior and relationships. Reflexivity can be self-reflective or critical, challenging hegemonic ideologies and promoting change.

• Bringing reflexivity to research involves sociological and philosophical approaches, acknowledging the historical and political nature of science. Post-structuralist reflexivity challenges power relationships and normalizing discourses within society and institutions. It requires researchers to reflect on their positioning and relationships with research subjects.

• In teaching organizational studies, reflexivity helps students become reflective practitioners who can examine their actions, interactions, and relationships ethically. It encourages critical thinking and engagement with complex issues such as globalization and sustainability. Reflexivity fosters transformative learning and encourages students to explore moments of reflection in their experiences.

• Reflexivity in research and teaching helps generate rich, complex understandings of organizations and organizational life. It encourages pluralistic forms of knowledge and addresses critiques of business schools by promoting responsible and ethical practices in education and research. Overall, reflexivity enhances the quality and depth of knowledge production in organizational studies.

Palaganas, E. C., Sanchez, M. C., Molintas, M. V. P., & Caricativo, R. D. (2017). Reflexivity in qualitative research: A journey of learning. The Qualitative Report, 22(2), 426–438.

• Qualitative research involves acknowledging changes in the fieldwork process and how they affect researchers. Reflexivity is crucial, recognizing the iterative and empowering process of shaping and being shaped by the research process and output. It should be recognized as a significant part of the findings.

• Reflexivity in qualitative research involves analytic attention to the researcher's role in the research process. It encompasses both a concept and a process. Conceptually, reflexivity involves self-awareness and recognizing one's role in social settings. The process of reflexivity entails continuous reflection on values, assumptions, and background influences on research practice.

• Researchers use various methods to enhance the rigor of qualitative work, including sample rationale, triangulation, negative case analysis, and external audits. However, reflexivity may sometimes be seen as unprofessional or intrusive.

• There are different types of reflexivity, including personal, epistemological, critical, and feminist reflexivity. Feminist reflexivity emphasizes seeking new knowledge while contributing to social change and respecting participants' human rights. It involves participatory research principles and self-examination to enrich research and improve lives.

• Epistemological reflexivity involves reflecting on theoretical assumptions and perspectives, politics of location, and social constructions informing research. Critical reflexivity unravels political and social constructions in research, addressing ethical and political questions. Feminist reflexivity focuses on reciprocity in research and gender-based differences shaping the research process.

• Reflexivity helps shape and be shaped by the research process, prompting researchers to reflect on their aspirations, values, experiences, and social identities. It promotes an honest account of the research process and the researcher's position relative to the research. Reflexivity ensures transparency in the research process and awareness of reciprocal influences between participants and researchers.

• Researchers engage in personal, epistemological, critical, and feminist reflexivity to challenge assumptions, address political and social constructions in research, and promote reciprocity. Reflexivity is essential for maintaining rigour and trustworthiness in qualitative research and fosters learning and dialogue throughout the research process.

IntercultureTV. (2017, February 8). Reflexivity in perception [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcHT10xICKg

Blind man and the elephant

• Six blind men encounter an elephant and each perceives it differently based on the part they touch: one perceives a wall, another a spear, a snake, a tree, a fan, and a rope. Each is partially right and partially wrong, as they only grasp one aspect of the elephant.

• The story highlights that people perceive reality differently, and our perceptions can be limited and subjective. There are blind spots in our interactions, and we may not always see what others see.

• To overcome these limitations, we need to be open, listen, maintain a respectful distance, be mindful, reflect, introspect, understand, be flexible, and be generous. We each have our subjective reality and can choose what we want to see and value.

• Others serve as mirrors, reflecting aspects of ourselves back to us. By patiently trying to understand others' perceptions instead of dismissing them, we can learn to be inclusive and celebrate diversity and uniqueness.

• Embracing diversity allows us to understand, embrace, and assimilate the unknown, opening up opportunities for growth and learning.

Palaganas, E. C., Sanchez, M. C., Molintas, M. V. P., & Caricativo, R. D. (2017). Reflexivity in qualitative research: A journey of learning. The Qualitative Report, 22(2), 426–438.

• Reflexivity in qualitative research: Researchers reflect on their role and how they are shaped by the research process, acknowledging its iterative and empowering nature.

• Enhancing research rigor: Researchers utilize various methods such as sample rationale, triangulation, and thick description to enhance the rigor of qualitative work.

• Analytic attention: Reflexivity involves analytic attention to the researcher's role in qualitative research, recognizing how their social background, location, and assumptions influence the research process.

• Types of reflexivity:

  • Personal reflexivity: Examining one's values, experiences, and assumptions that affect the research process.

  • Epistemological reflexivity: Reflecting on theoretical assumptions, politics of location, and political and social constructions informing research.

  • Critical reflexivity: Unraveling political and social constructions in research, addressing ethical and political questions.

  • Feminist reflexivity: Reciprocity in research, considering gender-based differences and the researcher's values shaping the process.

• Qualitative research: Recognizes the constructed nature of reality, with researchers locating themselves alongside participants to understand their experiences.

• Challenges and considerations:

  • Objectivity: Challenges assumptions about objective inquiry, advocating for appropriate methodological tools and techniques.

  • Critical ethnography: Acknowledges the entrenchment of knowledge in sociopolitical and cultural contexts.

• Impact of reflexivity: Researchers reflect on how their aspirations, values, and experiences shape the research, providing an honest account of the process.

• Epistemological reflexivity: Challenges assumptions about the research question, study design, and method of analysis, considering different ways of investigating phenomena.

• Critical reflexivity: Examines political and social constructions informing the research process, emphasizing ethical and political considerations.

• Feminist reflexivity: Considers gender-based differences in the research process, prioritizing reciprocity and partnership between researchers and participants.

• Reciprocity and reflexivity: Researchers share their experiences and reflections on the research process, addressing complexities and making visible the processes of research.

• Conscientization: Researchers learn about themselves and others through the research process, engaging in dialogue and discourse to explore beyond data.