How Does Critical Reflection Develop Possibilities for Emancipatory Change? An Example from an Empirical Research Project

Abstract

This paper provides a practice-based research example of how critical reflection developed possibilities for emancipatory change. Specifically, it traces the experiential process of one practitioner who participated in a recent research project. This original research tested the possibilities for critical reflection to produce change in practitioners engaged in supporting victims/survivors of sexual assault in the context of the Australian criminal justice system. The paper contributes to addressing a gap that has been identified in the literature concerning a lack of empirical evidence to support the claims made about critical reflection by its proponents. The paper provides an empirical example of the deconstruction and reconstruction processes involved in the research that enabled this practitioner to overcome her initial sense of fatalism and powerlessness, to instead envision new ways to engage with adversity and creative strategies to work towards emancipatory change and social justice within a micro-practice context. © 2011 The Author.