Reflexivity

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Health Sciences and Practice Subject Centre
Reflective Practice Special Interest Group 9th
February 2009
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• Teaching Reflexivity

Elizabeth Smith
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Bridging the divide between doing and teaching
reflexivity by examining how we have learnt to
use reflexivity in our own areas of practice
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• Critical reflective knowing is neither
  behavioural nor technical, not truth
  establishing, nor captured by a discipline. It
  critiques all other forms of knowledge, and in so
  doing, it moves beyond merely reproducing what
  is (Habermas, 1978)

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Key issues for teaching reflexivity 1.
Strategies and techniques 2. Theories and
approaches 3. Assessment and monitoring 4.
Professional knowledge and development
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• My learning about reflexivity

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Trigger (App3/Date21.07.06) A conversation
with a Supervisor My views have changed they
will again. Where will this lead? What is there
after this? Have I initiated a way of thinking
that is just over-stimulated reflexivity? Is
introspection a way of researching? Is my agenda
overly personal emancipatory, therapeutic? Am I
researching me?
Reflective note book
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Being reflective involves picturing
or visualizing oneself (Stronach 2007)
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Reflective tools
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Reflecting on our performance our novel selves
and our signature (Stronach 2007)
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• Trigger (App3/Date28.08.06) Transcribing
  interview data
• I have such a personal view of my relationship
  with this study. I feel like I am one of two
  mirrors. I am pointed at another mirror, which is
  the study. From my position all I can see is me,
  reflected in the study... I can see where the
  study has come from and how my understandings
  have changed. But, I am in a reflection trap. I
  am frustrated with looking at the study and at
  me. It feels overly reflective and out of
  control. I am mentally going around in circles,
  scrutinizing every decision that I have made and
  what I will do next.

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Limitations of reflexivity

• Self-indulgence (Finlay 2002)
• Difficulties of reflection (Seale 1999)
• Paralysis (Weick 1999)

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• Reflexivity involves thinking about the
  conditions for what one is doing and the
  affects (Steier 1991)

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Oedipal effect
Episteme Disciplines Discourse

• Research does not take place in a neutral,
  apolitical, ideology-free space. Nor is an
  autonomous, value-free researcher responsible for
  it (Alvesson and Sköldberg 2000)

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Structured Reflection(Smith 2008)
Political and social influences
Theoretical and epistemological positions
Interpretive Repertoire
Presence - position
Self-critical reflexivity
Interpersonal reflexivity
Contextual reflexivity
Critical reflexivity
Reflective themes
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Reflexivity offers critical validation through
structured and ongoing attention to personal,
interpersonal and contextual factors influencing
what is said and done, or not said and done
(Smith 2008)
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• Key questions for teaching reflexivity
• 1. Strategies and techniques
• Reflective tools
• Pedagogy of reflexivity
• 2. Theories and approaches
• Purposes and uses of reflexivity
• Support for position of critical attitude
• 3. Assessment and monitoring
• Embracing and examining subjectivity
• Educational relationships e.g. supervision
• 4. Professional knowledge and development
• Monitoring how reflexivity is taught
• Stance style of Reflective teacher

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• Reflexivity references
• Alvesson, M. and Skoldberg, K. (2000). Reflexive
  Methodology New Vistas for Qualitative Research.
  London Sage Publications.
• Bolam, B., Gleeson, K. and Murphy, S. (2003) Lay
  person or Health expert? Exploring theoretical
  and practical aspects of reflexivity in
  qualitative health research. Forum Qualitative
  Social Research, 4, 2, Art. 26.
• Brookfield, S. (1993) Self-directed learning,
  political clarity and the critical practice of
  adult education. Adult Education Quarterly,
  43(4), pp. 227242.
• Breuer, F. and Roth, W. (2003) Subjectivity and
  reflexivity in the social sciences Epistemic
  windows and methodical consequences. Forum
  Qualitative Social Research, 4, 2, Art. 25.
• Dowling, M. (2006) Approaches to reflexivity in
  qualitative research. Nurse Researcher, 13, 3,
  7-21.
• Finlay, L. (2002). Negotiating the swamp the
  opportunity and challenge of reflexivity in
  research practice. Qualitative Research, 2,
  209-230.
• Finlay, L. (2002) Outing the researcher The
  provenance, process, and practice of reflexivity.
  Qualitative Research, 12, 4, 531-545.
• Foucault, M. (1982) The subject and power.
  Critical Inquiry, 8, (4) 777-95.
• Habermas, J. (1978) Knowledge and Human Interests
  (second edition). London Heinemann.
• Hardy, C., Phillips, N. and Clegg, S. (2001)
  Reflexivity in organization and management
  theory A study of the production of the research
  subject. Human Relations, 54, 531-560.
• Holland, R. (1999). Reflexivity. Human Relations,
  52, 463-483.
• Hsiung, P. (2008) Teaching reflexivity in
  qualitative interviewing. Teaching Sociology, 36,
  211-226.
• Johnson, P. and Duberley, J. (2003) Reflexivity
  in management research. Journal of Management
  Studies, 40, 1279-1303.
• Leach, L., Neutze, G. and Zepke N. (2001)
  Assessment and empowerment some critical
  questions. Assessment Evaluation in Higher
  Education, 26, 4, 293-297.
• Lewis, M. and Grimes, A. (1999).
  Metatriangulation Building theory from multiple
  paradigms, Academy of Management Review, 24,
  672-690.
• Riley, S., Schouten, W. and Cahill, S. (2003)
  Exploring the dynamics of subjectivity and power
  between researcher and researched. Forum
  Qualitative Social Research, 4, 2, Art. 40.
• Smith E. (2008) Appearances of power service
  user involvement in health research. PhD thesis.
  University of London.