The Importance of Reflexivity in Qualitative Research
What Is Reflexivity?
At its core, qualitative research enables researchers to gain a complete understanding of a topic through truthful reporting and firsthand knowledge. To ensure the accuracy of this type of research, it is helpful to work with coded data, meaning that the information should be organized and labeled to identify various relationships and themes.
Once the data is coded, you can be reflexive. Typically, reflexivity involves examining your own judgments, practices, and belief systems during the data collection process. The goal of being reflexive is to identify any personal beliefs that may have incidentally affected the research.
During reflexivity, you must be prepared to question your own assumptions. The researcher plays an integral role in the data collection process, especially during qualitative studies. Reflexivity shifts part of the focus off of the subjects and onto the researcher. It requires a general acceptance of the fact that researchers are dynamic parts of the qualitative process and actively influence the outcome of the project.
Reflex vs. Reflect
Make no mistake, being reflexive is not part and parcel of being reflective. Any good researcher reflects on their data and makes judgments about it. Reflexivity takes this process much further and involves actively examining the person making the judgments. For instance, a qualitative researcher who is reflexive may ask, “Do my beliefs make me predisposed to reason that my data points toward a particular conclusion?”
If your underlying belief systems, political opinions, or other biases could have potentially impacted the study’s outcome, then you must identify them. Reflexivity is a means of doing just that. However, reflexivity also gives rise to several new dilemmas.
Potential Pitfalls of Reflexivity
The reflexive process is a great tool that can help you validate qualitative research. However, placing too much emphasis on reflexivity can lead you to pair each decision with unnecessary frames of reference, which will overcomplicate the final disposition of your research.
If you want to incorporate reflexivity into your process without creating an unintentional cerebral gridlock, focus on the problem at hand. Instead of describing every single reflexive judgment call, focus on specific issues. Try to explain how interactions between the researcher and the research might include a pattern of interpretation.
Why Is Reflexivity Necessary in Qualitative Research?
Reflexivity is essential in qualitative research because this field is heavily dependent upon the information that participants provide. Since questionnaires, discussions, and interviews are all led by researchers, the information gathered during qualitative studies may be influenced by underlying beliefs.
The primary goal of reflexivity – often referred to as bracketing – is to be aware of researcher biases and how they influence the outcome of the study. In some research approaches, you may be looking to reduce bias, whereas in others, you may be using researcher bias as a central tool for deriving knowledge.
Despite its potential drawbacks, reflexivity is vital when it comes to qualitative research. There are countless ways that researcher bias may affect the study. These include:
The way data is collected
The choice of data collection methods
How the information is analyzed
How the data is reported
Qualitative research is inherently subjective, no matter how well the project is designed, which is why you must incorporate reflexivity into your research process.
How to Keep a Reflexive Journal in Qualitative Research
It is generally good practice to keep a reflexive journal when practicing qualitative research in order to keep a log of your thoughts, reflections, and decision-making as you make meaning from data.
There is no right or wrong way to keep a reflexive journal. Bracketing yourself in the journal not only keeps your bias in check but provides a chronicle of your work that can be included in the write-up. If you observe journals from a variety of researchers, you’ll see that the approaches are widely varied.
Here are recommendations for what to log in a reflexive journal:
Who you are, what your background and upbringing are
Your relationship with the participants of your study
Values and beliefs you hold, and how they make impact your analysis
A written record of each decision you make and how you feel about it
Anything you’re anxious or confused about
How you’re making meaning from your data
Procedural notes on what you did and why
Anything you write in your reflexive journal will be helpful for readers to better understand the context and perspectives that influenced the outcome of your research. Remember, there’s no right or wrong way to do this. Just make sure you’re actively reflecting on yourself and understand how your personal experiences impact every decision you make in your research.
Types of reflexivity
Reflexivity always involves examining how your role as a researcher might impact your work and study participants. In this context, different reflexive frameworks can help navigate this introspective process.
Let’s take a look at some of these different reflexive approaches:
Personal reflexivity:
Personal reflexivity is the process of reflecting on your own values, life experiences and beliefs in order to identify their impact on how you interpret your research. Your life experience plays a central role in your research. The act of practicing personal reflexivity allows you to examine how your personal level of involvement impacts your research outcomes.
For example, if you’re conducting research on the experiences of Asian American youth in New York City, and you are Asian American as well, you can use personal reflexivity to reflect on how your own upbringing, background, and relationship to the community impacts your research.
Functional reflexivity:
Functional reflexivity involves examining your role as a researcher as it pertains to the practice and process of conducting research. How are you making your decisions and what is your rationale behind each decision? How are your values impact how you’re making decisions about how you approach research?
For example, if your participants unexpectedly canceled their interviews, and you decided to change course and collect data from online forums instead, you should reflect on why you decided to make this change and how you feel about it.
Reflexive thematic analysis
Reflexive thematic analysis is an approach to thematic analysis that values the researcher’s subjective experience as the primary way to discern knowledge from data. The goal is not to search for objectivity or remove bias, but instead to use the researcher’s personal experience and values as the primary tool to make sense of data. Learn more about thematic analysis here.
Ethical reflexivity
Ethical reflexivity evaluates your research's impact on participants and the larger social and political context in which the research is embedded. Particularly for vulnerable populations, it mitigates power imbalances and safeguards privacy and autonomy. Key ethical aspects encompass access, consent, confidentiality, power dynamics, role conflicts, and dissemination challenges.
For example, if you are studying vulnerable populations, such as people with disabilities, you need to consider how to obtain informed consent. You also need to be mindful of the power dynamics that exist within that relationship, especially when disabilities affect communication or understanding. Ethical reflexivity helps minimize power dynamics and protect participants' privacy and autonomy.
Cultural or intercultural reflexivity
Cultural or intercultural reflexivity is particularly important for cross-cultural or international research. The process involves reflecting on your own cultural assumptions and biases and how these might affect your interactions with participants and interpretations of findings.
For example, say you are a researcher from a Western country conducting research in the Middle East. You need to be aware of the potential for cultural differences in values, norms, and communication styles. You should also be mindful of your own biases and how they might influence your interpretations of the data.
Narrative reflexivity
Narrative reflexivity examines how you present your research findings, which often influences how your audience interprets them. It's akin to breaking the fourth wall in theater or film but in your research documentation. The process centers on self-awareness and full transparency regarding your involvement, biases, and subjectivity throughout the research journey.
For example, if you are writing a research article, you may consider how your language, structure, and tone can shape how your findings are interpreted. You may also consider why you chose one respondent's answer over another or why you visualized data in a certain way.
Relational reflexivity
Relational reflexivity considers the relationship between you and the participants in your research. It is especially relevant for studies where deeper, more personal relationships (like in ethnographic research) develop over time. Similar to ethical reflexivity, this approach can help garner more candid, unadulterated answers from your study participants.
For example, when conducting ethnographic research, relational reflexivity is a way to evaluate how your relationships with participants may impact data collection and analysis. Questions like "Have I built rapport with participants?" and "Is there enough trust for them to discuss sensitive topics?" are helpful.
Emotional reflexivity
Emotional reflexivity involves reflecting on the emotional dynamics of conducting research, including the feelings, moods, and emotional interactions between you and your participants. Researchers are not immune from emotional changes or reacting to emotionally charged topics. Emotional reflexivity examines whether your own beliefs or biases are influencing your work.
For example, you may experience strong emotions such as empathy, compassion, or anger as you listen to the participants' stories. It is important to acknowledge these emotions and consider how they may affect your study. You should also be mindful of how your emotions can impact your participants.
Institutional reflexivity
Institutional reflexivity examines how the researcher's institutional context, including the norms, policies, and cultures of their university or other funding body, shapes the research process. It recognizes that research is not conducted in a vacuum and that institutional context can influence everything from the research questions asked to the methods used.
For example, if you conduct research supported by an institution, you may be more likely to choose methods and interpretations aligned with the expectations of the institution. Institutional reflexivity is a way to maintain transparency and integrity in research, even when working within institutional constraints.
Benefits of Reflexivity in Qualitative Research
Even though reflexivity can present its share of challenges for researchers, these concerns are overshadowed by the significant benefits of this practice.
The key advantages of reflexivity in qualitative research include:
Accountability
Reflexivity is a means of holding researchers accountable. When researchers detail their reflexivity practices in the final abstract, readers can better understand the research process. This accountability is an essential part of publishing valuable research.
Trustworthiness
Reflexivity also improves public perception. Researchers who are honest and open about their belief systems, underlying biases, and background can better connect with readers. It is a means of validating the study in the eyes of the public.
Clarity
By incorporating legitimate reflexivity practices into a study, researchers can present the project’s result with clarity and precision. Readers will have a better understanding of how researchers arrived at a particular conclusion.
Personal Growth
Reflexivity is not just good for the project and readers; it is also essential for the researchers. True reflexivity forces a researcher to engage in genuine introspection. The researcher will have the opportunity to identify biases, beliefs, and other characteristics that have the potential to affect their work.
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References:
Wilkinson, S. (2015). The role of reflexivity in feminist psychology. In B. Gough (Ed.), Qualitative research in psychology (Vol. 5, pp. IV39-IV39). SAGE Publications Ltd, https://sk.sagepub.com/navigator/qualitative-research-in-psychology/n67.xml
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2019). Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 11, 589 - 597.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2022). Thematic analysis: A practical guide. SAGE Publications. https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/thematic-analysis/book248481
Cite this blog post:
Delve. Ho, L., & Limpaecher, A.(2022b, February 25). The Importance of Reflexivity in Qualitative Research. Essential Guide to Coding Qualitative Data. https://delvetool.com/blog/reflexivity