On
Tuesday, two new digital tools have entered into my life. Learning Pinterest
and Evernote as reflections tools opens a new window. I am currently designing a concept map for
the literature review of my proposal. I have decided to use Ever note as my
reflection site during the proposal writing process.
I found the classroom discussion on reflection
very beneficial in terms reviewing the important points of readings. Watts’
article briefly makes an argument about the role of reflection in the qualitative
research. Accordingly, reflection is an indisputable part of the qualitative
research. The main premise of the Watt’s article is each research project is a
unique study created by researcher. Thus, researchers should inform readers how
they approach to study, and how they develop the process. At this point, Watts identifies writing as “
a way of inquiry”. We also discussed ethical issues in the qualitative research
in light of Paulus’s article drawing attention to the connection between ethics
and reflection. The common belief is reflection might add trustworthiness and
transparency to researchers’ works.
Reflection
serves as means that make research study more meaningful for both researchers
and readers. In regard to researchers, reflection helps them to gain self-awareness “who they are” and to understand
values, beliefs, and experiences which underpin their research. This
allows researchers to see their own purposes for conducting a certain study,
and their research process. Through reflection researchers are able to realize how
they present truths and convey messages to readers. For readers, reflection
offers a realization that from which point of view researcher present the study
including epistemological and ontological perspectives. Also it allows readers to see if researchers
have any biases and assumptions regarding research process.
I also
like the discussion around reflexivity and positionality. These two terms are
mostly confused with each other. Through discussion I made sense that
reflexivity and positionality are two related but distinct words. Positionality
is more close to revealing or identifying your identity and its influence on
research process while reflexivity means communication with yourself and
readers.
Naime, I found your summary to be really helpful to my own understanding. One thing that stood out for me was your discussion of reflexivity as increasing the transparency and trustworthiness of a research study. This is something that I think about often--perhaps as I try to tease out how this is actualized. What about the practice of reflexivity leads to or result in or produces transparency? I wonder, too, whether when we say 'transparency' -- what are we referring to? Transparency to the public? To a potential reviewer of our work? In general, the field has really positioned transparency as being in relationship to the actual research process, quite often closely connected to data collection and analysis decisions. I see here that reflexive practice can become an archival document of how these a researcher goes about making thoughtful decisions, particularly when combined with a tool for accounting for and recording one's reflexive musing.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing that resonates with me is your discussion of positionality. So, I've been thinking today about the place of values and the research process. I do not believe this is a simple topic, rather one that is layered and 'messy.' How do my values shape the research process? They do, I believe, but this is certainly something I'm still teasing out in my own practice as a researcher. These values are part of my positionality, which I work to tease out through my reflexive practice.
Your words pushed me to articulate how I make sense of positionality and reflexivity -- relationally. Thanks for the nudge.