Reflexivity in Research: Theory and Practice

This online workshop has been organised by the Well-being, Health and Communities (WHC) Pathway and is open to ESRC and non-ESRC funded PhD and MA Social Research students within the WHC Pathway across the WRDTP partner universities.

This session melds current theory and a practical focus allowing participants to develop their understanding of reflexivity in qualitative research and how to actually be reflexive. Drawing on the facilitator’s own research, publications, and experience, a hands-on approach is emphasised in making sense of this oft-cited but tricky-to-enact concept. There are no pre-requisites. Maps to Vitae RDF Domains: A1-3, B1-B3, & C1.

The learning objectives for the session are to understand:

• the key underpinning principles of reflexivity, including the difference between reflection and reflexivity
• a critical approach to key theoretical works in research reflexivity
• practical essentials of ‘living’ reflexivity as a researcher, including maintain a research journal
• tips and practical suggestions in working between theory and practice during active research.

Speaker - Dr Russell Delderfield: Senior Skills advisor, University of Bradford

Dr Delderfield’s doctoral study was entitled Exploring male disordered eating: a hermeneutic study of men’s relationships with food, body and self. Russell’s work applies social psychology in a field dominated by medical discourses. His research uses stories to explore issues of identity, selfhood, gender, masculinities and eating disorder. He is also working on understandings of misandry within society, the philosophical underpinnings of masculism as a counterpart to feminism, and the nature of qualitative inquiry when using interpretive approaches such as hermeneutics, phenomenology, IPA, discourse analysis, narrative analysis, memory work, biographical work and dialogical analysis.