Researching and Reflexivity
This semester I was invited to try my hand at being a research assistant, something that was new and exciting to me. At the same time, however, research seemed intimidating and overwhelming.
When my research team finally reached some consensus on what it was exactly we wanted to look at — digital well-being under the realm of social justice issues, I immediately started wondering what my role would look like in this team. After learning a lot about the privilege and biases I hold as a white person in this country, I really wanted to make sure that while looking into racial injustices and their effects on my peers that I was doing it right.
This is why I decided to look into reflexivity in research, which from my understanding is basically the idea that you recognize something and take an action because of it. Reflexivity can be super important in research because of unrealized biases, and there is a ton of literature out there on how to adapt your projects to work with, or in some cases workaround, your natural reflexivity.
As I said, there's a ton of papers and readings on reflexivity out there, but to save you some time, here are some of the most interesting things I took away from looking into this side of research.
Reflexivity doesn’t just mean to reflect.
Reflexivity is asking you to reflect on the data, but it’s also asking you to reflect on yourself as the researcher. Don’t just reflect on the data to make a conclusion but rather reflect on yourself, how you perceive the data, and why that may be.
Working with a team is almost always best.
When trying to combat reflexivity and avoid having your own biases sway any research, it can be really helpful to work with a team. Whether that means having two researchers present in the room for an interview, having peers review all conclusions you make, or simply running all ideas by a team of diverse minds, it’s important to understand that your way isn’t always the right way. Teamwork makes the dream work as they say.
Check-in with yourself and maybe even buy a journal!
Reflexivity is a tricky topic, but it’s really important if you want to present data and conclusions that are accurate and unbiased. Use it as a tool. One reading I found recommended journaling your experiences as a researcher, not only for your own sake but for the sake of the research. Maybe you were having a bad day when an interview was conducted, or something exciting happened just before causing you to be over-optimistic. There are many different things that can impact the way you operate as a researcher, keep track of them, take note of these impacts for research, and take care of yourself. It’s for your own good!
