Reflexive / Reflective Research Practice

Some honest declarations:
... even I have read through some related sources to gain more insights about the reflexive/reflective research, what I am able to share in the following paragraphs are just some points touching the very surface of this topic. It will be easier to build the point of reference if we have some ideas about the philosophy of scientific research and methodology such as positivism, social constructionism and critical realism.

Back to the topic:
The term "reflexive/reflective research" means a research involving the researchers to acknowledge their own experiences and produce the outcomes of the finding based on their contexts. There is a complex relationship between the processes of knowledge production and the contexts of such processes, as well as the knowledge producer (the researcher).

Based on the descriptions in the paragraph above, thus a "reflexive/reflective research" has to be carefully interpreted and reflected. This implies that interpretation of the researcher is very important because it forms the fundamentals of the research idea, and eventually the outcomes of the finding. Thus all the interpretation backdrop that set the reflexive/reflective research such as perception, cognition, theory, language, text, politic and culture should be given great consideration.

Again, as referred to the definition, the ability to acknowledge the researcher's own experience also indicates that the researcher should be aware of his/her own thoughts, feelings, culture, environment and social background, such that he/she can ideally come closer to the rigour, and hence a good quality research.

Now that I have briefly shared the very nature of "reflexive/reflective research", we may take a look at the four elements in reflective/reflexive research suggested by M. Alvesson & K. Sköldberg (2009).

The 4 elements of reflective/reflexive research:

1. Systematics and techniques in research procedures
2. Clarification of the primary of interpretation
3. Awareness of the political-ideological character of research
4. Reflection in relation to the problem of representation and authority   

In which if we can emphasis these elements in any reflective/reflexive researches, we can render the quality of the outcome, and of course the research itself.



Bibliography:

• Mats Alvesson & Kaj Sköldberg (2009) Reflexive Methodology: New Vistas for Qualitative Research, SAGE. 
• Etherington, Kim (2004) Becoming a Reflexive Researcher - Using Our Selves in Research, Jessica Kingsley Publishers Ltd.