UGB361 Developing the Reflexive Practitioner

Session 4: Research Design for Reflexive Practice

Dr Paul-Alan Armstrong, VC Teaching Fellow 2018-19

© University of Sunderland, 2019

 The Methodology of Reflective Practice

Shifting Sands, Researching Professionals, Reflexive Consciousness

 Shifting Sands: From Thinking Performer to Researching Professional

• The main challenge for Professional Identity from a research perspective is the rigid and prescribe nature of professional
bodies descriptions of behaviours (e.g. CIPD and CIM) or values (CMI) or codes of conduct and ethics (ACCA).
• Furthermore the terms used by professional bodies make reference to professionals being a ‘Thinking Performer’ (e.g.
CIPD) which implies a measurable and accountable element (可衡量和可解釋的的要素) of being a professional.
• However Armstrong and Bryans (2016) argue for the need of professionals to be and become ‘Researching
Professionals’.
• ‘an individual who considers the ‘me’ in the process of becoming who is based on values-led practice rather than
functional approaches to dealing with work issues. The ‘Researching Professional’ brings the challenging, open and
critical mind-set of a researcher(有挑戰性，開放性和批判性的思維定式)to their day to day work’ (Armstrong and Bryans,
2016: 1).
• In this need for students to become ‘Researching Professionals’ and develop awareness of their professional(s) identities
because of the exponential growth of information which will require research skills throughout their professional lives.
• By developing their awareness of their professional identities is crucial for professional development for those in the
Business and Management Professions.
• Armstrong (2018) presented the conceptualization of digital reflection, arts based approaches as Reflexive Digital
Bricolage and argue this was a pathway for digital journaling and the being and becoming a scholar practitioner.
Furthermore Armstrong (2019) argued this could be achieved through dialogic, collaborative and artful embodiment (對話，
協作和巧妙的體現)
Developing Reflexive Consciousness through Research

• ‘Reflexive consciousness is ‘examination of the self’ and this is also referred to as ‘self-reflection’.
• This approach is methodologically referred to as ‘Self-Reflection as Method’ which can be described as;
• ‘the purpose of self-reflection as method is not focused on gaining insight or experiencing affect
through a personal journey of self-discovery, but rather to enable the description of moments of self-
discovery or insight. When we use self-reflection, our personal observations of our own journeys
function to enhance shared knowledge about the ethnographic focus of self-inquiry’ (當我們使用自我
反思時，我們對自己的旅程的個人觀察將起到增強關於自我研究的人種學重點的共享知識的作用。)(Franks,
2016: 49).
• Self Reflection Method is research based on ‘Me’ and the ‘Ethnographic I’ (Ellis, 2004).
• This can be through:
1. Action Research (cycles of reflection e.g. Participatory action research (Kemmis and McTaggart, 2005) or
through Gibbs or Gardner’s cycles of reflection)
2. Reflexive Dialogic Action Research (e.g. Ripamonti et al;. 2016)
3. Auto-Ethnographic Practices of emotional recall, systematic sociological introspection and therapeutic
inquiry (e.g. Ellis, 2004; Goffman, 1959)
4. Reflective Practice (e.g. Gardner, 2014; Fook, 2012; Hunt, 2010)
 The Methodology of Critical Reflective Practice

• The methodology of critical reflective practice is based on the construction and creation of knowledge
about self.
• This knowledge of self can be in terms of;
1. Personal Knowledge: this includes, personality; values and beliefs; attitudes; attributes; qualities;
morality; ethics
2. Professional Knowledge: this refers to phronesis and dialectics (言語和辯證法) (Eikeland, 2006;
2012). This is concern with ways of knowing which is normally referred to as practical wisdom.
• Critical Reflective Practice is research concerned with personal and professional knowledge (identity
and or self-image) and can be as follows;
1. Action Research (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ov3F3pdhNkk)
2. Auto-ethnography (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIvC0IohRVc)
3. Art-based research (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uLlOylejws)
4. Reflexivity (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9Tccc0Ko68)
Reflective Space and Reflexive Space

• Reflective space is considered by numerous commentators as the ‘process

of critical reflection’ through the methodology and theoretical construction
of personal and professional knowledge (e.g. see Burchill and Dyson,
2010; Gardner, 2014). This ‘space’ is possible through the use of personal
data.
• Reflexive space is ‘the visualization of the layers of conscious and
subconscious understanding of self through; creative expressions including
one or more of the following: drawings, photographs, poetry, proverbs,
lyrics, dance and sculpture through the media of text, artefact(人工製品) ,
video and audio collage (拼貼畫) and such creative expression will be
capable of facilitating: emotional recall, systematic sociological
introspection and therapeutic inquiry’ (情緒回憶，系統的社會學內省和治療
性探究) (Armstrong, 2015: v).
 Methodologies of Reflective Practice

Auto-biographical, arts based, action research

 Auto-Ethnographic Practices

• Emotional recall: this is drawn from the work of Ellis (1999; 2004; 2007; 2014) who
suggests a ‘heartful’ auto-ethnography approach (真誠的民族志方法). This is
where insider researchers explore the traumatic events of life and how they affected
them (探索生活中的創傷事件以及它們如何影響生命)
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ym-IXPhDSjI).
• Systematic Sociological Introspection: this is drawn from the work of Goffman
(1959) and then developed by (Ellis, 1991; 2004) who suggest emotional recall is
only possible if you make sense of emotions (this is referred to as systematic
sociological introspection) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9c364BrOio) .
• Therapeutic Inquiry: by making sense of emotions and through the construction of
personal and professional knowledge critical reflective practice (建立個人和專業知
識的批判性反思實踐) can provide the reflective and reflexive space for writing
therapeutically (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQPsC8d5cb0) (Ellis, 2004;
2007; 2014).
Auto-Ethnography and Critical Reflective Practice

• Personal Reflexivity ‘involves reflecting upon the ways in which our own
values, experiences, interests, beliefs, political commitments, wider aims in life
and social identities have shaped the research’ (Willing, 2001: 10)
• In this context research = you; your story; your autobiography; your
ethnographic I
• There are different auto ethnographic approaches including personal
ethnography and reflexive ethnography which is often referred to as
‘systematic introspection, narrative inquiry and biographical method’ (Ellis,
2004: 45)
• ‘auto-ethnography is an autobiographical genre of writing and research that
displays multiple layers of consciousness, connecting the personal to the
cultural’ (Ellis and Bochner, 2000: 739)
Action Research and Critical Reflective Practice

• Action research is often referred to as ‘intervention’ and ‘collaboration’ or

‘applied research’ or ‘praxis research’ (“干預”和“合作”或“應用研究”或
“實踐研究”) (Eikeland, 2012: 10).
• It is concerned with living inquiry, ‘how might we change things at the same
time as studying them? (Wicks, Reason and Bradbury, 2013: 21).
• An example of action research and critical reflective practice is participatory
action research (Kemmis and McTaggart, 2005). This is concerned with
cycles of critical reflection (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6D492AP9JP4)
.
Art Based Research and Critical Reflective Practice

• The increasing recognition of art as a form of critical reflective practice (Armstrong, 2015; Finley 2005;
2011; Pelias, 2013)
• The visualization of identity or ‘my story’ is a form of critical reflective practice;
• ‘mystory performances are personal cultural texts (e.g. narratives, paintings, poetry, music) that
contextualise important personal experiences and problems within the institutional settings and historical
moments (在機構環境和歷史時刻內根據重要的個人經歷和問題進行情境化 ) where their authors (e.g.
painters, collagists, dramatists) find themselves’ (Finley, 2005: 690).
• This relates to poetics and interpretive poetics (詩學與闡釋詩學 )= the term poetic means art or production
and relates to the Aristotle concept of metaphor (Wall, 2003: 317).
• Notable art based critical reflective practice commentators include;
1. Armstrong (2015): Songs of Praxis (the use of lyrics)
2. Saunders (2003) and Burchill (2010): Poetry and poetic expression
3. Hunt (2006); metaphors ‘travels with a turtle’
4. McIntosh (2008; 2010); artistic impressions and reflective practice
Reflexivity and Critical Reflective Practice

• Reflexivity is ‘to find a way of standing outside the self to examine’ (Bolton, 2010: XVIII)
• Reflexivity is ‘a stance of being able to locate oneself in the picture, to appreciate how one’s own self influences
(actions) (一種能夠在圖片中定位自己的立場 ，欣賞自己的自我影響（動作）的立場 。). Reflexivity is potentially
more complex than being reflective, in that the potential for understanding the myriad was in which one’s own
presence and perspective influence the knowledge and actions which are created is potentially more problematic
than the simple searching for implicit theory (自反性比反射性更複雜，因為理解無數種潛力的可能性在於，一個人
的存在和視角會影響所創造的知識和行為，這比簡單地尋求內在理論更有問題。) (Fook, 2002: 43)
• Reflexivity ‘generates understanding about the complexities of how workers and their service/communities
perceived themselves and each other, the value of understanding that all of who we are (physically, emotionally,
mentally, socially, spiritually) influences how we perceive others and are perceived by them’ (反思性“產生了對工
人及其服務/社區如何看待自己和彼此的複雜性的理解，了解我們所有人（身體上，情感上，心理上，社會上，精神
上）影響我們感知他人和”被他們”感知的方式的價值。)(Gardner, 2014: 35-36).
• Reflexivity as a research approach is determined by how you understand why you research the way you do (it
gives you your identity as a researcher/Professional). (自反性作為研究方法，取決於您對自己研究方式的理解方式
（它賦予您作為研究者/專業人士的身份）
 Methodological Challenges and Limitations

Readiness for Reflection: Ethical Challenges and Subjectivity

Readiness for Reflection

• The main methodological consideration is ‘readiness for reflection’ which is a criticism of auto-biographical
approaches to research. This is due to the potential of vulnerability of the researcher. Therefore to overcome this an
‘invitation to reflection’ (Armstrong, 2015: 101) recognises this as follows; (方法論上的主要考慮是“反思的準備”，
這是對自傳研究方法的批評。 這是由於潛在的研究人員脆弱性。 因此，為了克服這一點，“邀請反思”要認清到以
下幾點：
1. Provide support and space for reflection and reflexivity through text or digital
2. Ensure informed consent, confidentiality and privacy
3. Give guidance, tools and emotional support to facilitate readiness
4. Do not harm or allow vulnerability which compromise emotional recall, systematic sociological introspection which
can lead to therapeutic inquiry (不要傷害或允許脆弱性破壞情感回想，系統的社會內省，從而導致治療性探究)
• Recognise the subjectivity of the research, it is personal, it is a capture of a particular moment in time
• When using personal data (see session 6) triangulate data; use more than one source and when using
diagnostics have multiple responses to increase validity and reliability of the data (使用個人數據時（請參閱第6
節），對數據進行三角測量； 使用多個來源，並且在使用診斷程序時具有多個響應以提高數據的有效性和可靠性).