Reflexive Research Research Articles

Do we practice what we preach?: Exclusionary LGBTQ+ policy at religiously-affiliated institutions of higher education with CSWE-accredited social work programs

ABSTRACT The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) has a longstanding practice of accrediting social work programs nestled within institutions of higher education that openly discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) faculty, staff, and students through harmful policies and procedures. Though these policies and procedures contradict the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics, these institutions are deemed religiously exempt. In an effort to understand the breadth of this issue, this paper describes a qualitative study examining the presence and substance of LGBTQ+ discriminatory policies at religiously affiliated institutions of higher learning (N = 190) that contain CSWE accredited social work degree programs. Utilizing content analysis, 101 discriminatory excerpts were identified within the 299 publicly available student and/or faculty handbooks, representing 40% of the institutions. Excerpts were coded into three distinct categories: belief expression (66.3%), belief expression and offer of formalized religious or spiritual support (13.9%), and belief expression with punishment (19.8%). In order to attempt to increase trustworthiness, the researchers used coder triangulation, intercoder reliability, and researcher reflexivity. Implications for social work hiring, policy advocacy, education, accreditation, and research are discussed, highlighting the direct conflict between the profession’s standards and values and current accreditation practices.

Crossing disciplinary boundaries: motivations, challenges, and enablers for early career marine researchers moving from natural to social sciences

Abstract Recent years have seen increasing calls to better document and understand the human dimensions of the marine and coastal environment and to incorporate this knowledge into decision-making. Human dimensions of the marine and coastal environment are best investigated through the application of marine social science. Individuals within marine social science are not solely “pure” social scientists, but rather are a diverse and interdisciplinary community, including many who have moved from the natural sciences to pursue a career in marine social science. This is particularly the case for early career researchers, with many moving from natural to social science earlier in their academic careers than their predecessors, and thus developing stronger interdisciplinary skills than previous generations of social scientists. In this perspective, we draw on our experiences, highlighting our main motivations for moving from natural to social science, the barriers we have faced and our top tips for early career researchers faced with similar opportunities and challenges. The ten tips include: “Work with like-minded researchers,” “Learn from and be inspired by academic heroes,” “Learn about and engage with research philosophy, positionality and reflexivity,” “Value your own skillset and perspective,” and “Be patient and kind to yourself.”

Care Frictions: A Critical Reframing of Patient Noncompliance in Health Technology Design

Patient work encompasses a challenging set of activities necessary for learning about and managing chronic conditions over time. Many patient-centered health technology interventions focus on supporting types of patient work, such as symptom tracking, medication adherence, and information sharing between patients and providers. However, people may not always follow, or may actively resist, the activities prescribed by their formal patient role. In this paper, we present three case studies about patients with different chronic conditions to critically reflect on the types of patient behavior commonly taken up in health technology design as acts of "noncompliance." Detailing conflicts that emerge when patients are caught between meeting their personal needs and following clinical best practices, we show how everyday life and health system goals are often misaligned in ways that can't be easily reconciled through current design approaches. As a way forward, we argue for alternative ways of understanding the tensions routinely shaping people's healthcare experiences. We introduce the term care frictions as a sensitizing concept useful for helping designers reframe "noncompliant" behaviors as legitimate forms of patient work. Our paper also offers design considerations-both on challenges and generative possibilities-for future CSCW research seeking to support a wider breadth of patient behavior. In this, we call attention to the value of designer and researcher reflexivity in making visible the problematic assumptions in health technology design that can lead to social and emotional patient harms.

Perspectives of education and mental health professionals on adolescent school-based mental health promotion: a qualitative exploration

BackgroundInterdisciplinary interventions for school-based mental health promotion (SBMHP) for adolescents (10–19 years old) provide a unique opportunity to address the urgent mental health needs across this population. EspaiJove.net, a SBMHP programme, has delivered mental health workshops to over 24118 adolescents in Barcelona, Spain, since 2012. This study aimed to explore the perspectives from professionals involved in EspaiJove.net regarding the needs, challenges, and opportunities for adolescent SBMHP, to guide future interventions. MethodsFollowing an interpretivist approach rooted in social constructionism, semi-structured online interviews were conducted with six mental health professionals and five education professionals recruited through purposeful sampling from four schools participating in EspaiJove.net in Barcelona, Spain. Data collection was done between November and December, 2021. An interview guide and ongoing researcher reflexivity contributed to attaining data saturation. Bracketing, member checking, and debriefing were used to ensure rigour. Data were analysed through thematic content analysis. The University of Liverpool's Ethics Committee approved this study. FindingsData showed that: (1) there is a shared understanding among education and mental health professionals towards mental health and its promotion; (2) there is an urgent need for adolescent mental health promotion; and (3) participants' perceived roles and responsibilities in SBMHP varied, but favourable views towards the implementation of SBMHP were unanimous. There was perceived urgency towards adolescent mental health promotion, partly attributed to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The link established between schools and mental health centres through EspaiJove.net fostered an interdisciplinary collaboration that spanned well beyond the intervention. The major challenge affecting the feasibility of SBMHP unanimously described was the scarcity of resources and political will to invest in mental health promotion. InterpretationPerspectives arising from EspaiJove.net reveal favourable views towards SBMHP among participants. Although limited by size, the consistency of the findings add strength to the study. Given the similarities between the UK and Spain's Education and Health Systems, these findings could contribute to the advancement of SBMHP in the UK. Despite current challenges, such as the scarcity of resources and political will identified in this study, capitalising on schools as health-promoting assets and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration through SBMHP could be a cost-effective way to address the current global mental health crisis. FundingNone.

Foreigner, migrant, or refugee? How laypeople label those who cross borders

AbstractIn this article, we seek to exercise reflexivity in migration research by looking at the symbolic boundary work that sustains laypeople’s understanding and use of specific labels. We do so through a qualitative, cultural sociological investigation of migration attitudes in Czechia. We explore the labels foreigner, migrant, and refugee, commonly used labels in Czech migration discourse. In short, we argue that research participants rely on different grounds for boundary work, informed by available cultural repertoires, when characterizing foreigners, migrants, and refugees. While boundary work related to the label foreigner calls upon criteria of citizenship and perceived cultural closeness, the boundary work concerning the other two labels—migrant and refugee—involves the moral criteria of deservingness. Our study addresses three major shortcomings in migration studies. First, the opinions of laypeople influence public policies and approaches to migration, yet in-depth qualitative studies of migration attitudes are scarce. Second, even though migration attitudes shape the character of the receiving context for people who cross borders, how laypeople engage with labels remains understudied. Finally, we heed the call for a ‘reflexive turn’ in migration studies, arguing that researchers must remain reflexive, not only about labels they use, but also how such labels are understood and used by research participants.

Women's experiences of information, education and support when undergoing pelvic radiotherapy for gynaecological cancer: An exploratory qualitative study

IntroductionAs cancer survival rates increase, so does the importance of preventing and alleviating the late effects of radiotherapy. The effect of long-term problems on patients’ physical, social and psychological well-being must be addressed along with the importance of developing an understanding of the late effects of treatment to find ways of maximising the quality of life of cancer survivors. The aim of this service evaluation was to establish what support, information and education on post treatment changes women who have undergone pelvic radiotherapy for gynaecological cancer were provided with, and whether it met their needs. MethodsAn interpretative phenomenological analysis was undertaken to explore the support, information and education on post treatment changes women who have undergone pelvic radiotherapy for gynaecological cancer are currently provided with and whether or not it meets their needs. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to gain insight into the experiences of participants. Researcher reflexivity was considered and ethics permissions granted. ResultsThis paper reports the themes from analysis; communication and information provision, abandonment, service provision, and sexual health and intimacy. All patients experienced feelings of abandonment at the completion of treatment and those experiencing ongoing side effects needing greater support, particularly to manage side effects affecting the bowel and bladder. ConclusionThis study fills a gap in existing knowledge and identifies that patients with a gynaecological cancer require greater communication and support. The introduction of a therapeutic radiographer led late effects clinic and sexual care after radiotherapy clinic could provide the support and information that patients need to cope with the long-term side effects experienced due to pelvic radiotherapy. Implications for practiceThis service evaluation highlights the importance of including patient perspectives when designing and developing services.

Complex identities, intersectionality and research approaches in millennial family caregivers in the United States.

A discussion of the personal and social contexts for Millennial family caregivers and the value of including complex identity and intersectionality in Millennial family caregiving research with practical application. Discussion paper. This discussion paper is based on our own experiences and supported by literature and theory. Millennial family caregivers have distinct generational, historical and developmental experiences that contribute to the care they provide as well as their own well-being. Complex identity, the integration of multiple identities, and intersectionality, systems and structures that disempower and oppress individuals with multiple identities, need to be addressed in nursing research so intervention tailoring and health equity can be better supported in this population. From research conceptualization and design to data analysis, data must be used intentionally to promote equity and reduce bias. The inclusion of diverse Millennial caregivers throughout all stages of the research process and having a diverse nursing research workforce will support these efforts. Millennial family caregivers comprise one-quarter of the family caregiving population in the United States, and they are more diverse than previous family caregiving generational cohorts. Their needs will be more fully supported by nursing scientists with the adoption of methods and techniques that address complex identity and intersectionality. Nursing researchers can use the following research approaches to address complex identity and intersectionality in Millennial caregivers: inclusion of qualitative demographic data collection (participants can self-describe); data disaggregation; data visualization techniques to augment or replace frequencies and descriptive statistics for demographic reporting; use of researcher reflexivity throughout the research process; advanced statistical modelling techniques that can handle complex demographic data and test for interactions and differential effects of health outcomes; and qualitative approaches such as phenomenology that centre the stories and experiences of individuals within the population of interest.

“I’m Trilingual – So What?”: Official French/English Bilingualism, Race, and French Language Teachers’ Linguistic Identities in Canada

The privileging of French and English in Canada has led to an official language policy that minimizes the country’s long-established multilingual realities in favour of a socio-politically constructed linguistic and cultural duality. The impact of this policy directly shapes the linguistically diverse yet monoglossically constructed French language classroom with teachers overwhelmingly orientated to “balanced” bilingualism. Research narratives generated with Western Canadian French as a second language (FSL) teachers show how an emphasis on official languages constrains the construction of a legitimate professional identity, especially among multilingual teachers of French. The article argues that official French/English bilingualism in Canada constitutes a key obstacle to moving beyond monolingual and racializing language ideologies associated with standardized French and has a significant impact on FSL teacher professional identity. The analysis of interview extracts shows teacher-participants prioritizing English and French at the expense of their heritage (non-official) languages, in effect erasing dimensions of their linguistic, racial, and cultural identities. The article concludes by considering how a lack of researcher reflexivity with regard to issues of race can reinforce both monoglossic ideologies and a well-entrenched disregard for multilingual knowledge in teacher education programs.

Using ethnography to understand the lives of street sex workers

This article examines the value of using ethnographic methodology in research with women involved in street sex work in an inner-city suburb of Melbourne, Australia. The aim is to draw attention to the importance of three fundamental elements of this type of research with marginalised populations: 1) researchers’ immersion into the field over a sustained period of time, 2) ethical considerations about informed consent for people with cognitive impairment as a result of chronic drug use, and 3) reflexivity and positionality in qualitative research. Data collected from two and a half years of ethnographic fieldwork, including participant observation and semi-structured interviews with women involved in street sex work, emphasises the importance of adopting these participatory methods to ensure authenticity, rigour and credibility of research findings with marginalised populations.

Re-voicing conceptualizations of plurilingual education: ‘El plurilingüismo, este concepto de … ¿cómo se puede decir?’

ABSTRACT Plurilingual education is usually viewed by its proponents as emancipatory. But is it really, and if so, how? For what kind of learning experiences, what kind of production of knowledge, what sense of identity and of community? In this contribution, we discuss collaborative inquiry and arts-based engagement as public and plurilingual pedagogy. We focus on a partnership between elementary school teachers, families, museums and university researchers established to investigate how multi-situated practices and ways of knowing can be leveraged as resources to inform our understandings of plurilingualism and plurilingual education. At the same time, we explore the role those actors can play to support engagement and reflexive inquiry through sensory and visualizing experiences in collaborative participatory research as powerful ways to cultivate reciprocity and relationality. The contribution aims to trigger a discussion about the importance of revoicing our conceptualizations of plurilingual education to include the discourses, multisensory experiences and stories of diversely situated social actors. Truthful, trustworthy pluri-dialogic and multilateral relations between partners open up a pathway to frame and claim alternative and transdisciplinary epistemologies of diversity, which can disrupt and displace the hegemonic Eurocentric matrix of Language Education.

What is next for information world mapping? International and multidisciplinary approaches to understanding information behaviors/practices in context

As the use of arts-involved and data visualization methods increases in information science, it is essential to reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of various methods. An international lineup of information researchers shares their experiences using the participatory, visual elicitation technique Information World Mapping (IWM) in their work. The authors begin with an overview of IWM, detailing its origins and emerging directions. They summarize their application of IWM to describe information behaviors/practices across various locations, cultures, disciplines, and technology access environments. The authors conclude by discussing key questions and areas of exploration for IWM in information research, including cultural influences, changes in media and methods for data collection, power dynamics, and researcher positionality and reflexivity. Insights offer new possibilities for the next phase of IWM in information research, including challenges and areas for innovation.

Developing a grounded practical theory of engaged communication scholarship: theorizing communities of practice in NCA journals

ABSTRACT This study analyzes use of the terms ‘engaged scholarship’ and ‘engaged research’ in all 11 NCA journals to develop a grounded practical theory (GPT) of engaged communication research. We find that the practice of engaged scholarship is defined by tensions between role identity goals of scholar and practitioner; relational goals of expertise and partnership; and outcome goals of theory and practice. To manage these tensions, engaged scholars (1) discursively construct themselves in dual roles of academic-community member; (2) advocate for researcher reflexivity to manage power dynamics; and (3) privilege theory-practice integrative outcomes. Underlying these tactics, engaged scholars intimate moral and strategic arguments for the practice of engaged scholarship. We discuss the implications of these situated ideals for assessing ‘what counts’ as good scholarship among researchers working at the intersections of theory and practice.

Archives in action. The impact of digital technology on archaeological recording strategies and ensuing open research archives

Digital-born research archives, data re-use, participation and the inclusion of academic and lay stakeholders in archaeological knowledge production. These are important topics that are increasingly addressed but often overlooked in the creative stages of archiving, be it data collection or the reproduction of an archiving practice. This creative practice is affected and changing due to the implementation of digital technology. These practices are reproduced in the design of the research archive and, as such, the impact of technology can potentially be scrutinised and traced reversely by analysing the uses of the archive. In addition, digital technology is believed to prompt greater inclusivity of diverse audiences. But how to reach that audience, and who is this “audience”? In this paper, emphasis is placed to reflect upon the practice of archiving of ongoing, post-excavation archaeological research with an audience, as opposed to well-established reflexive research into excavation and museum practices. As such, the concept of archiving as research process, rather than the traditional approach towards archives as data repositories is introduced here. As a case study to identify and assess potential change in a particular archaeological practice, the paper describes and analyses the archiving practice of the team of the Tracing the Potter's Wheel-project, from its inception in offices and storerooms to the archive's targeted manifold use as a place of knowledge production, data sharing and learning.

Online peer-led group reflective practice in higher education: a seminar-based project evaluation

ABSTRACT This study explores the effects of online Peer-Led Group Reflective Practice (PLGRP) on students undertaking their master’s degree in the UK, during the Covid-19 pandemic. First, it provides an overview of the online seminar-based project called Holistic Academic and Research Reflective Practice (HARRP) which fostered the PLGRP pedagogical approach presented and evaluated here. Next, it delves into the reflective pedagogical approaches that informed the project design, before looking at its effects on students. A qualitative methodology enabled the implementation of an open-ended questionnaire which helped capture students’ thoughts on the project. Results of a thematic analysis suggest that online PLGRP provided opportunities for students to develop their academic and researcher reflexivity, researcher competence as well as their independent and interdependent learning skills. Issues around lack of time to attend seminars and lack of familiarity with working in peer-led reflective groups enabled further suggestions and improvements to the HARRP project. The contribution of this study lies in the way in which PLGRP approach is designed and operationalised with the purposes of helping students make sense of their academic and research journey individually and in groups. This study also shows how individual and peer-led group reflective practices shape one another.

Online ride-hailing drivers' organising for interest representation in Ghana

PurposePlatform work challenges the traditional modes of workers' organising for interest representation. This paper aims to examine the political potential for voice and representation of the organising efforts by ride-hailing drivers in Ghana.Design/methodology/approachThe study design was qualitative and exploratory. Semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with individual drivers, key persons and leaders of ride-hailing drivers' associations were employed. The total number of participants was 40.FindingsThe analysis reveals a bottom-up approach to organising, starting with drivers' exercise of associational power (AP) to self-organise with a membership logic. Affected by mundane internal challenges and limited by the non-existent institutional power and the near absence of structural power for right claiming, they affiliate with TUC as the traditional structural power holders for political influence.Research limitations/implicationsThe study has limitations that can be addressed in future research. First, the targeted and small sample size only allows for rich context-specific generalisation. Future studies could target more categories of respondents such as vehicle owners and riders and also seek to include the experiences from other African countries to understand country-specific contextual issues. Second, the allowance for researcher reflexivity inherent in the methodology adopted has the potential for researcher biases. Therefore, a deliberate effort was made to ensure that biases remain only a potential. This was done by participant validation of the data and constant peer-reviewing of the data analysis processes by the authors.Practical implicationsThe empirical findings provide trade unions with a stronger basis for and pointers to represent workers in the platform space.Originality/valuePlatform work in Ghana is an emerging phenomenon, and organising amongst platform workers remains unexplored.

Women leaders' work-caused trauma: vulnerability, reflexivity and emotional challenges for the researcher

PurposeThis paper advances what is known about emotional experiences and challenges when researching work-caused trauma in organisations and illustrates learning for researchers of work-related trauma. Viewing vulnerability as strength could be conceived as an oxymoron. The paper explains how vulnerability can lead to strength for researchers/participants and focuses on researcher reflexivity in relation to one interview with a woman leader in a small-scale qualitative study.Design/methodology/approachThe research protocols of the qualitative study are outlined: pre-interview briefings, participant journaling and semi-structured interviews. Researcher reflexivity, following Hibbert's (2021) four levels of reflexive practice (embodied, emotional, rational and relational), is applied to an interview with a woman leader.FindingsThe paper illustrates how research design and recognising vulnerability as strength facilitates considerable relational work and emotional experiences. Researcher reflexivity conveys impact of work-caused trauma on participants and researchers. The paper advances understandings of vulnerability as strength in practice, emotional experiences and challenges of work-caused trauma research.Research limitations/implicationsIn this paper, a single case of researcher reflexivity is considered.Practical implicationsThere are practical implications for researcher relationships with participants; demonstrating emotional awareness; responding to traumatic stories, participant distress and impact on the researcher; issues of vicarious/secondary traumatic stress; having safe psychological systems; scaffolding a process which recognises vulnerability as strength and becoming personally and methodologically vulnerable; risk of embodied and emotional impact; commitment to reflexivity and levels of reflexive practice.Originality/valueThere is lack of researcher reflexive accounts of practice when studying trauma. Few scholars suggest ways to support researchers in challenging and difficult research. There is silence in research exploring leaders' experiences of work-caused trauma. This paper provides a reflexive account in practice from a unique study of women leaders' experiences of work-caused trauma.

The methodology wars and outdoor and environmental education: Feminism, positivism, and causation

How causation is approached has, for some time now, been a central debate within the archives of educational research. Despite rich discussion in broader literature, the influence of what has been described as the ‘methodology wars’ has rarely featured within the field(s) of outdoor and environmental education (OEE). This paper explores causation in this context, employing a feminist paradigmatic approach to investigate the role of causation in OEE research. A positivist approach is also considered in parallel, asking whether and how research in OEE navigates causation, and the potential influences of this upon competing audiences (e.g., policy makers and funders). Drawing on a conceptual causal pluralist approach to causation within the feminist paradigm, four key touchstones are presented that stand ready to facilitate inclusive, equitable, and reflexive research for OEE post-pandemic. The paper reflects on the general position of OEE presently, and responds to increasing sociocultural complexity as it is lived and felt within the profession and beyond.

The Implementation of Reflexive Methodology and a Storyline in Dual-Language Field Research

This article attempts to illustrate the process of incorporating a model of reflexivity into dual- language field research as an alternative method of scientific enquiry. It also contributes to the ongoing discussion regarding how to approach reflexivity in a methodologically consistentmanner. The study is rooted in classical grounded theory and therefore it did not attempt to test or expand upon any existing or preconceived theory. However, it began with a research question on how mainstream curricula address the nature of minority cultural diversity. The research was conducted in primary schools in Texas in the United States, where dual-language curricula incorporate cultural aspects of students’ backgrounds. An overt non-participantobservation research technique was applied. The researcher was observing in an unobtrusive manner and making notes within the study environment. The codes and concepts emerging from the data were “put into dialogue” with the researcher’s voice, existing concepts and knowledge. The dialogue took place before, during, and after data collection as part of a literature review, and later to discuss the concepts and categories that emerged from the data. A storyline is used here to present the findings and emerging theories. This study demonstrates that the use of the model of reflexivity in GT research strengthens the rigor of the research process and the development of the researcher.

“One day you’ll buy a Rolex from me”: reflexivity and researcher decoding positions in luxury research

ABSTRACT Looking back on completed fieldwork for interdisciplinary research exploring the discursive construction of luxury by those producing and promoting it, I noticed that I – a putative expert in consumer culture – had my own sense of self, critical distance and belonging challenged and negotiated by the object of study. This paper theorises reflexivity in luxury research, showing how luxury worked on me while I worked on luxury. I present a conceptual framework for reflexivity in luxury research using Stuart Hall’s classic model of decoding: oppositional-critical, negotiated-playful and hegemonic-aspirational. First, the researcher may act as an outsider who rejects luxury; second, the researcher may experience the pleasurable workings of luxury marketing strategies, and finally researchers may explore the possibilities of luxury acquisition. These shifting positions in critical distance highlight researcher authority, neoliberal power and the role of reflexivity in interdisciplinary luxury research.

Attending to and transforming power dynamics in translanguaged research relationships and methodology

In this response to Lee (2022), I posit that translanguaging has prompted a re-evaluation of applied linguistics and sociolinguistics methodology in part because the theory has implicated issues of power dynamics and coloniality into the study of language. For this, if researchers wish to conduct research from translanguaging perspectives, it becomes necessary to recognize and attend to power dynamics in research design and methodology. This piece suggests some guiding questions for addressing power dynamics in one aspect of translanguaging methodology — forming research relationships. It explores how, in our relationships to our fields, we might promote answerability (Patel, 2014) for the roles our fields have played in the linguistic hierarchization that translanguaging resists. Second, it explores how research relationships with participants might be made more equitable through researcher reflexivity.