Let's talk about reflexivity in qualitative research. As a qualitative researcher, you make all the decisions about collecting, analyzing, and interpreting your data. Therefore, your biases and experiences can impact the research process.
That's where reflexivity comes in. Reflexivity is the process of reflecting on how your biases, experiences, and your position within the researcher-participant relationship influence your study. The reflexivity process starts by asking questions like, how do my beliefs or biases lead me to influence the data in a particular way? You can use a research journal or discuss your work with colleagues or peers to help answer these questions.
Let's talk about the benefits of reflexivity. Reflexivity makes you aware of how your own biases and decisions as a researcher influence your study. It also challenges assumptions you may have surrounding the phenomenon you're studying. The concept is particularly important in qualitative analysis, where you use participant-provided data, like those from interviews or focus groups. So reflexivity is a way of documenting how you engage with your data and participants to help improve the credibility and trustworthiness of your work.
Next, we'll discuss the different types of reflexivity. A number of frameworks can help guide you through the introspective process of reflexivity. Here are some of the more common approaches.
Personal reflexivity involves introspection into your values, your life experiences, and beliefs, and how they shape your research. If you're studying Asian American youth in New York City and you're also Asian American, personal reflexivity helps you consider how your upbringing and identity influences how you interact with your participants. Functional reflexivity critically examines your role as a researcher and the decision-making process behind your research.
If participants unexpectedly cancel interviews, functional reflexivity encourages you to reflect on your process. For example, if you shifted to online forums for data collection, you'd reflect on how this decision aligns with your research goals. Ethical reflexivity focuses on ethical concerns, especially with vulnerable groups. It involves looking at informed consent, privacy protection, and addressing power imbalances. For instance, when researching participants with disabilities, Ethical reflexivity guides you in ensuring their autonomy and safeguarding their rights, especially in cases where disabilities affect communication or understanding.
Cultural or intercultural reflexivity is a way to assess your cultural assumptions and biases, especially in cross-cultural research. Suppose you're a Western researcher conducting a study in the Middle East. Cultural reflexivity prompts you to acknowledge potential cultural differences in values and communication styles and consider how these differences may impact your work. Our last example is institutional reflexivity, which focuses on how your research is influenced by your institution or funding body's norms, policies, and culture. If your research receives institutional support, be mindful of how it can influence your research, including the questions you ask, the methods you employ, and the interpretations you make.
Now, let's look at two reflexive approaches mentioned earlier, research journals and peer debriefing. First, a research journal records your thoughts, feelings, and reactions throughout a study. You can think of this as an ongoing discussion with yourself.
The second approach is peer debriefing. This is where you discuss your work with colleagues or peers. They can help you see your research from a different perspective, identify any biases you may not have noticed yourself, and offer a more nuanced analysis. Next.
let's take a look at a few examples of how a researcher may approach reflexivity. A researcher studying the experiences of immigrants may reflect on her own experiences with immigration by journaling and asking a peer debriefer to review her project. A researcher studying children with autism can practice ethical reflexivity, especially regarding informed consent, to ensure they uphold participants' rights and privacy despite potential communication challenges.
A government-funded researcher studying a public health policy remains vigilant about institutional reflexivity. They consult a neutral peer reviewer to prevent institutional influence on the study's integrity. But what's the best way to organize and manage reflexivity?
We recommend using a qualitative data analysis tool that lets you easily record your reflexive notes. Delve's web-based coding software supports this. Delve Memos lets you record reflexive notes directly within your codebook. Delve's simple sharing function also streamlines remote peer debriefing.
You can share your project with peer debriefers and decide whether your peer debriefer can view, edit, or comment on your work. Now that you understand what reflexivity is, why it's important, and how it works, you can use tools like Delve Qualitative Analysis Tool to make more informed research decisions and organize the reflexive process. Thank you for watching our video on reflexivity. When you're ready to practice reflexivity in your own study, start a free trial of Delve Qualitative Coding Software at www.delvetool.com slash get started.
To learn more about other qualitative methods, Check out our other videos and articles at www.deltool.com/.guide