Reflexive Case Study Research Articles

Situated knowledge-making in dynamic collaboration: A reflexive case study of social work practice research in mainland China

Situated knowledge-making in dynamic collaboration: A reflexive case study of social work practice research in mainland China

I Did Something Stupid When I was a Teenager

First Nations, Metis, and Inuit ways of knowing have always drawn knowledge from the land and the internal realms of self or feeling to guide and heal. Teenage self-harm and turmoil resulting from the generational trauma of colonialism serve as a reflexive case study for understanding how Anishinaabe ideologies around land-based well-being are applicable in the instances following an overdose. This project is an interpretive phenomenological analysis of a reflexive recount of the author’s overdose as an urban Anishinaabe teenager. Utilizing First Nation’s theories and teachings on land-based wellbeing as a framework, this text unpacks the unexplained events of an overdose with Anishinaabe worldviews in mind. Storytelling techniques such as self and situational reflection are used to communicate data (the experience) in a creative way unconventional to colonial research structures, and better aligned with the author’s ancestral practices. This is a creative project in self-reflection, trauma exploration through Indigenous frameworks, and communication removed from colonial conventions. This project serves as illuminating towards urban Indigenous challenges which acts as a case for understanding Anishinaabe knowledge of self thrivance.

In Pursuit of Ethical and Inclusive Research: What Ethics Committees and Disability Researchers Can Learn From Each Other

Across disciplines, qualitative researchers have documented epistemological and practical tensions in the ethical review of community-based and participatory research, with many arguing that ethics committees’ decisions perpetuate the exclusion of marginalised communities from research engagement. In the existing literature, the research team and the ethics committee are often characterised as staunch opponents. Conversely, in our recent qualitative research addressing communication about sexuality with young people with cerebral palsy who use communication methods other than speech (augmentative and alternative communication), we found that constructive collaboration between researchers and committee members yielded novel insights. Co-authored by a multi-disciplinary research team and the former chair of a Human Research Ethics Committee, this reflexive case study identified three key tensions which arose in the ethical review of research involving this purportedly marginalised population, which reflected the wider importance of trust. We propose a series of practical recommendations to support productive collaboration in the pursuit of safe, inclusive and community-driven research.

Reflections and Recommendations to be Representative of the Community in a Community-Based Sports Program

Conducting research with minoritized groups presents various challenges, such as a lack of trust and skepticism regarding benefits to their community (Yancey et al., 2005). Previous studies have provided evidence-based suggestions on overcoming barriers in collecting data on minority populations (Escobar-Chaves et al., 2002). This reflexive case study examines the effectiveness of using such scholarly recommendations for recruiting minority participants in the design and implementation of a life-skills through sports intervention program. Despite our efforts to reach a representative sample by applying specific recommendations, the obtained sample had a higher proportion of White participants (70% vs. 44.5%) and higher income levels (83.3% paid full lunch vs. 40.6%) than the overall prevalence found within the target community. Reflecting on the authors’ position within the study and exploring the methodological implications of existing strategies to enhance minority participation in research, this paper seeks to explicate the difficulties and challenges that can arise when turning theoretical recommendations into practice.

The perceived needs of teacher educators as they strive to implement curriculum change

ABSTRACT The focus of this study was to explore teacher educators’ experiences as they prepared preservice teachers to implement a new physical education curriculum, and to identify their professional needs to support this work. Individual interviews were conducted with 14 teacher educators who taught in a physical education teacher education (PETE) programme. Data were analysed in the spirit of grounded theory [Mordal-Moen & Green, 2014. Neither shaking nor stirring: A case study of reflexivity in Norwegian physical education teacher education. Sport, Education and Society, 19(4), 415–434]. Time to engage with curriculum, space to come together, leadership to manage the process, and opportunities to meet together in a professional capacity were identified as important for implementation of curriculum change in the PETE programme.

‘And we are a human being’: Coproduced reflections on person‐centred psychotherapy in plural and dissociative identity

In this reflexive case-study, ‘Billie’, an integrative psychotherapist, and her therapist, Nicola, offer a coproduced account of Billie's lived experience of dissociative identity. Challenging the medicalised ‘fragmentation towards integration’ discourse, Billie, her parts, and Nicola coproduce a person-centred ‘exclusion towards inclusion’ approach. The authors propose the term ‘plural identity’, situating the experience less as a disorder, and more as a way of being human. They present verbatim extracts of their therapeutic work, with parallel commentary and postsession discussion, to illustrate their developing, person-centred and coproduced approach towards intrapsychic inclusion. They conclude that inclusion consists in unconditionally valuing three prevailing constituents in plural identity: the individual parts of self; the ecological system; and the differentiation between parts. This can result in growth for all parts, including parts that initially appear counter to growth, and allows the lived experience of the client to be honoured, not pathologised.

Education for sustainability

Purpose Current approaches to sustainability science and education focus on (assessing and addressing) the external world of ecosystems, wider socio-economic structures, technology and governance dynamics. A major shortcoming of such approaches is the neglect of inner dimensions and capacities (which constrains education for sustainability as an end), and a limited capacity to facilitate reflection on the cognitive and socio-emotional processes underpinning people’s learning, everyday life choices and decision-taking (which constrains education for sustainability as a means). More integral approaches and pedagogies are urgently needed. The purpose of this paper is to advance related knowledge. Design/methodology/approach This paper provides a reflexive case study of the development of an innovative course on “Sustainability and Inner Transformation” and associated interventions in the form of a practice lab and weekly councils. Findings The paper elaborates on the connections between sustainability and inner transformation in education, offers insights into the process of adapting contemplative interventions to sustainability education and concludes with some reflections on challenges, lessons learnt and future work needed to support more integral approaches. The findings show that inner dimensions and transformation can be a vehicle for critical, improved education for sustainability and how this can be achieved in practice. Originality/value It is only recently that the concept of the inner or personal (sphere of) transformation has received growing attention in sustainability science and education. Despite this interest, such new conceptualizations and heuristics have, to date, not been systematically connected to education for sustainability (neither as an end nor means). The paper presents a critical, reflexive case, which advances related knowledge. It sets a precedent, which other universities/training institutions could follow or learn from.

‘I’m not being paid for this conversation’: Uncovering the challenges of artist–academic collaborations in the neoliberal institution

Artist–academic collaborations are fuelled by increasing institutional pressures to show the impact of academic research. This article departs from the celebratory accounts of collaborative work and pragmatic toolkits for successful partnerships, which are dominant in existing scholarship, arguing for the need to critically interrogate the structural conditions under which collaborations take place. Based on a reflexive case study of a project developed in the context of Tate Exchange, one of the UK’s highest-profile platforms for knowledge exchange, we reveal three sets of (unequal) pressures, which mark artist–academic collaborations in the contemporary neoliberal academy: asymmetric funding and remuneration structures; uneven pressures of audit cultures; acceleration and temporal asymmetries. Innovations at the level of individual projects or partners can only mitigate the negative effects to a limited extent. Instead this article offers a systemic critique of the political economy of artist–academic collaborations and shifts the research agenda to developing a collective response.

From Hierarchical Power Structures to Rhizomatic Possibilities: An Argument for Affective Systems in US Public Schools

For more than 100 years, the US public education system has remained faithful to its hierarchical power structure, constructing knowledge at the top through state and federal efforts, then disseminating it down to districts, schools, administrators, teachers, and finally students. This paper argues that the assumed naturalism of this hierarchical power structure has resulted in a system that consistently fails to provide adequate services to urban, poor students of color as evidenced by the high rates of school dropout among this population. The contemporary issue of dropout in urban public schools is first located in the historiography of the Progressive Era. Next, a critically reflexive case study of the author's experience working as a dropout prevention counselor for a large urban school district is presented. Lastly, the issue of dropout is re-located through affective contextualization, articulating what could emerge with a shift from hierarchical power structures to rhizomatic possibilities.

Mapping a sustainable future: Community learning in dialogue at the science–society interface

In 2015, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) announced that the Science Year 2015 would focus on the “City of the Future”. It called for innovative projects from cities and communities in Germany dedicated to exploring future options and scenarios for sustainable development. Among the successful respondents was the city of Luneburg, located in the north of Germany, which was awarded funding to establish a community learning project to envision a sustainable future (“City of the Future Luneburg 2030+”). What made Luneburg’s approach unique was that the city itself initiated the project and invited a broad range of stakeholders to participate in a community learning process for sustainable development. The authors of this article use the project as a blueprint for sustainable city development. Presenting a reflexive case study, they report on the process and outcomes of the project and investigate community learning processes amongst different stakeholders as an opportunity for transformative social learning. They discuss outputs and outcomes (intended as well as unintended) in relation to the specific starting points of the project to provide a context-sensitive yet rich narrative of the case and to overcome typical criticisms of case studies in the field.

‘(Dis)empowered by what we see … ’: exploring the use of video-stimulated reflection in physical education pedagogy and practice

ABSTRACTReflexive accounts of physical education (PE) pedagogy and practice offer potential to reveal much about the intended and unintended learning, for both students and teachers, that can result from certain pedagogic encounters. Despite the promotion of reflective practice/s as a possible ‘panacea’ for improved teaching and learning, there is widespread concern that such approaches have relatively little influence in ‘shaking or stirring’ the deep-seated notions of effective pedagogy that are held by many physical educators [Mordal-Moen, K., & Green, K. (2014). Neither shaking nor stirring: A case study of reflexivity in Norwegian PE teacher education. Sport, Education and Society, 19(4), 415–434]. Inherent here are concerns that an increase in critical awareness alone does not necessarily lead to pedagogic translation [Hickey, C. (2001). “I feel enlightened now, but … ”: The limits to the pedagogic translation of critical social discourses in PE. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 20(3), 227–246]. Against that backdrop, we continue to support the use of reflective practice techniques as tools through which to interrogate the socio-cultural conditions and power relations that install enduring notions of effective pedagogy and dominant professional identities [Coia, L., & Taylor, M. (2017). Let’s stay in the swamp: Poststructural feminist reflective practice. In R. Brandenburg, K. Glasswell, M. Jones, & J. Ryan (Eds.), Reflective theory and practice in teacher education (pp. 49–62). Singapore: Springer Singapore]. In this paper, we explore PE pedagogy and practice through reflective practice with two female teachers in all-boys’ schools. Specifically, we critique the use of video-stimulated reflections from a feminist poststructuralist perspective to make visible the possibilities, challenges and tensions inherent in this methodological approach.

Education for Sustainable Consumption through Mindfulness Training: Development of a Consumption-Specific Intervention

Abstract Several widespread approaches to Education for Sustainable Consumption (ESC) have emerged from the tradition of consumer information. A major shortcoming of such cognitive-focused approaches is their limited capacity to facilitate reflection on the affective processes underpinning people’s engagement with consumption. More holistic pedagogies are thus needed to increase the effectiveness of ESC. The concept of mindfulness has recently received growing attention in research on sustainable consumption, given its potential to address both cognitive and affective processes and to stimulate reflection on the drivers of often routinized consumption practices. Despite this recent interest, mindfulness has to date not been systematically connected to ESC. This paper provides a reflexive case study of the development of mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) specifically tailored to ESC (“BiNKA-training”). It elaborates the conceptual connections between mindfulness and ESC, offers insights into the process of adapting MBI to ESC and concludes with lessons learnt and an outlook on future work seeking to tap the potential of MBIs to form more holistic approaches to sustainability education.

The reflexive case study method: a practice approach to SME globalization

Purpose – This paper is positioned at the intersection of the spatial and the practice turn in management research. The purpose of this paper is to address the phenomenon of transgressive small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) formations and the limitations of SME globalisation research in capturing the connectivity of businesses in disjointed locations, and propose a qualitative case-study design to overcome these limitations. Design/methodology/approach – The paper critiques existing approaches to SME globalisation, which are informed by an interpretative community that conceives of territorial geography as the nodal point of SMEs and does not distinguish between internationalisation and globalisation. The paper thus addresses related methodological challenges. Based on a synthesis across disciplines and theoretical perspectives, the paper offers a reflexive method for case-study research, in the hope that such a method may increase the productiveness of analytical exploration of the multidimensional qu...

Autopilot? A reflexive review of the piloting process in qualitative e‐research

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine an oft‐neglected aspect of qualitative research practice – conducting a pilot – using the innovative approach of “e‐research” to generate both practical and methodological insights.Design/methodology/approachUsing the authors’ “e‐research” pilot as a reflexive case study, key methodological issues are critically reviewed. This review is set in a broader context of the qualitative methods literature in which piloting appears largely as an implicit practice. Using a new and emerging approach (“e‐research”) provides a prompt to review “autopilot” tendencies and offers a new lens for analysing research practice.FindingsThe authors find that despite an initial focus on “practical” aspects of data collection within their “e‐research”, the pilot opened up a range of areas for further consideration. The authors review research ethics, collaborative research practices and data management issues specifically for e‐research but also reflect more broadly on potential implications for piloting within other research designs.Practical implicationsThe authors aim to offer both practical and methodological insights for qualitative researchers, whatever their methodological orientation, so that they might develop approaches for piloting that are appropriate to their own research endeavours. More specifically, the authors offer tentative guidance to those venturing into the emerging area of “e‐research”.Originality/valueThis paper offers insight into an oft‐ignored aspect of qualitative research, whilst also engaging in an emerging area of methodological interest.

Neither shaking nor stirring: a case study of reflexivity in Norwegian physical education teacher education

This paper examines the place of reflexivity in the ‘philosophies’ and practices of physical education (PE) teacher educators in Norway. Using a case study approach to one quite typical institution delivering physical education teacher education (PETE) in Norway, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 teacher educators. Analysis of the data generated by the study was inspired by the principles of grounded theory. Noteworthy among the findings was that the teacher educators viewed learning to teach PE in much the same way as they viewed PE itself—as an essentially practical process revolving around the teaching and coaching of sports skills. Consequently, there was little evidence that the teacher educators either engaged themselves or sought to develop in their students anything other than weaker forms of reflexivity; that is, focusing on the student teachers' development of their practical sporting and teaching skills. The discussion focuses on the contextual constraints—in the form of a combination of local and national contexts—that served to encourage the teacher educators at Nord University College to reproduce the kinds of (typically conservative) ideologies and practices in PETE that they were already habitually predisposed towards. In light of the evidence from this study, the paper concludes by reconsidering the claim that the rise of reflexivity as a dominant concept and a generic professional disposition has been one of the major trends in teacher education generally and PETE in particular.

Expanding the Horizons of Accounting Education: Incorporating Social and Critical Perspectives

This paper examines a case of accounting education change in the context of increased interest in ethical, social, and environmental accountability, presenting a reflexive case study of a new university accounting subject incorporating social and critical perspectives. Foundational pedagogical principles and key aspects of curriculum are outlined. The pedagogy draws on the integration of humanistic and formative education (principally based on Gramscian and Freirean approaches) and deep and elaborative learning. Two key aspects of curriculum and pedagogy are analysed. First, a curriculum based on a broad conception of accounting and accountability as power-laden social processes, drawing on a range of research literature. Second, the adoption of an authentic, supportive, and collegial team teaching approach. Students' feedback relating to identified issues is presented. The paper contributes to the renewal of the social and ethical worth of accounting education, concluding that deep accounting educational change encompasses both the content and practice of classroom activity and changes in the self-consciousness of staff and students.

Lived Experience, Reflexivity, and Research on Perpetrators of Interpersonal Violence

When conducting phenomenological studies, researchers seek to understand the lived experience of research participants. This goal presents special challenges when the topic is the meanings of violence to perpetrators. The purpose of this article is to describe the transformations of a feminist woman's understandings of the meanings of violence to male perpetrators of interpersonal violence in a long-term life history interview project. This article, therefore, is a case study of reflexivity in action. The methodological lessons learned may be instructive to other researchers interested in phenomenological research on interpersonal violence and other sensitive topics.

Identity, Expertise and HIV Risk in a Case Study of Reflexivity and Medical Technologies

Using qualitative interviews with gay men with HIV and with reference to identity, expertise and HIV medical technologies, this article contributes to debate concerning the concept of risk reflexivity. Since the mid 1990s, people with HIV in the affluent, global North have had access to HIV treatment that substantially improves health. Recent research has expressed fears that, by satisfying hopes for effective treatment among affected citizens, HIV prevention will be undermined. This paradoxical idea has sharpened focus on how users apply knowledge regarding the effects of treatment on the risk of HIV transmission through sexual practice. This article argues that the concept of risk reflexivity has value because it draws attention to the limitations of extant assumptions about the users of HIV medical technologies. But this concept requires development in terms of the positioning of the person with HIV in risk reflexivity and the related mobilization of blame.

Eastern-European Sex Workers in Greek-Cypriot Cabarets

Female sexuality has been exploited in sexualized work environments, such as cabarets, strip clubs, and brothels, for centuries. A critical site for exploring the intercrossing of sexual and economic differentials is the cabaret where the ultimate patriarchal gender dynamics are acted out; where males and females utilize their financial assets and sexual appeal, respectively, to benefit and exploit each other. This exploratory investigation provides an understanding of the macro environmental contexts and micro intrapersonal and interpersonal factors that have pushed and pulled a considerable number of young Eastern-European women to sex work. In particular, it attempts to shed some light into the various processual dynamics surrounding the personal and work lives of Eastern-European sex workers in Greek-Cypriot cabarets. The methodological mode involves both informal interview techniques and a reflexive case study approach. Informal interview and reflexive case study techniques constitute well-established variants of unobtrusive field research and involve the researcher actually joining in the events under study and examining the various phenomena from the inside.

‘Evaluating an Empowering Research Strategy: Reflections on Action-Research with South Asian Women’

Anti-racist sociology, feminist sociology and action-research share a concern with empowerment of ‘the researched’. A review and critique of the concept of empowerment in anti racist, feminist and action research is used to argue for the use of Strauss's ‘paradigm’ for study of the negotiation of power in the research process. Power negotiations are discussed in relation to a reflexive case study of an action- research project which worked alongside South Asian women in Glasgow. The case focuses on the project set up, which was aimed at intrinsic empowerment, then on the community action which tried to respond to local concerns, and finally on the experiences of two researchers in the project. In conclusion, it is argued that empowerment, rather than an unquestioned, universally desirable goal, remains an issue for continuing debate.