Overview
This online course seeks to support qualitative researchers in dealing with the key concepts of positionality and reflexivity.
During the course attendees will explore the role of the researcher at the insider/outsider divide as well as experience and practise practical strategies and exercises to learn how to do reflexivity.
Drawing on embodied and creative techniques we practise conscious noticing, we discuss our being, assumptions and beliefs and how they impact research. We will further examine the use of a research journal in relation to doing reflexivity and exploring one's positionality. We will experiment with form and formats of recording journal entries, consider how to make choices of what to record when and trial strategies for recording information we may have missed. Finally, we will deal with the practicalities of moving from the personal, private practice of doing reflexivity to the formal, public statement of positionality that is often asked for in theses and publications.
In line with the pedagogical principles of social constructivism the course is delivered as a mixture of interactive group tasks, discussions and lectures to enable active and experiential learning.
Course objectives
The aims of this interactive course are to provide insight into theoretical foundations and practical strategies to deal with reflexivity and positionality within qualitative research.
By the end of the course delegates will…
- have critical awareness of what reflexivity in qualitative research is and means
- have practical knowledge and personal experience of practical methods and strategies to acknowledge and capture emotions and experiences
- be equipped to capture thoughts and views and be mindful of their impact on research
- have practical knowledge and personal experience of effective methods for research journaling
- understand the aims and purposes of research journaling
- have a critical awareness of the relationship between the what, why and how of journaling and sharing the entries
- feel permitted to "experiment" and "try" in qualitative research
Course requirements
Attendees need to bring their personal research journal to the sessions. Attendees will not be asked to share these but will need them to work through some tasks.
Attendees are also strongly encouraged to have a specific print or digital workbook, exercise book, notebook or journal to use throughout the course.
There are no particular prerequisites.
Participants are required to bring their own laptop.
Who is this course for?
PGR students, early-career researchers and academics undertaking qualitative research or supporting others undertaking qualitative research.
Course timetable
29 June – 30 June 2023
The course will start at on Thursday, 29 June 2023
Thursday, 29 June 2023
Morning: "What is reflexivity?", "What do I write about?"
Afternoon: "What do I write about?", "Who am I as a researcher?"
Friday, 30 June 2023
Morning: "Who am I as an embodied being?", "What is happening here?"
Afternoon: "How do I get from here to there?", "Is that what I want?"
Course leader
Dr Nicole Brown is a writer and social researcher working on the cusp of research/practice/teaching. She is Director of Social Research & Practice and Education Ltd and Associate Professor at University College London. Nicole’s creative and research work relate to physical and material representations of experiences, the generation of knowledge, the use of metaphors, and more generally, research methods and approaches to explore identity and body work.
Her publications include Lived Experiences of Ableism in Academia: Strategies for Inclusion in Higher Education, Ableism in Academia: Theorising Experiences of Disabilities and Chronic Illnesses in Higher Education, Embodied Inquiry: Research Methods, and Making the Most of Your Research Journal. Her next books are Creativity in Education: International Perspectives and Photovoice, Reimagined.
Nicole's creative nonfiction has been published in the Journal of Participatory Research Methods, So Fi Zine and The AutoEthnographer.
Nicole shares her work at https://www.nicole-brown.co.uk and she tweets as @ncjbrown and @AbleismAcademia.
Recommended reading
None.
Cost
£180 – Full price
£120 – Discounted rate for PGRs
Book your place
Registration is available through our eStore.
Bursaries for PGR students
If you are a PGR student you are entitled to apply for a bursary. These are competitive, limited in number, and may be offered on a full and part fee-waiver basis. If you would like to apply for one of these bursaries please complete our bursary application form and you will be notified as soon as possible.