Riley Lathrop May 2019

Bridgewater State University Advanced Individual Project

Mortari, Luigina. “Reflectivity in Research Practice.” International Journal of

Qualitative Methods, Vol 14 (2015), 2015. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1177/1609406915618045.

“Whatever road we travel, we will never reach the boundaries of the mind, in that its deeps are
unfathomable” (Mortari 2015, 6).

Reflection is vital to growing as a professional and as a human. Through reflection, the inquirer
is both the observer and the observed. It is not until reflection occurs that a person is the subject
of his/her experience. Learning to practice reflection engages people with the world and creates
people to be in an “awake” state of living. A lack of reflection leads to passivity and an
inauthentic life. Within the field of research, reflection is particularly powerful and crucial. In
qualitative research, reflection is used to legitimate and validate research findings, as bias can be
present. A reflective researcher does not simply report the findings of the research, but at the
same time questions and explains how the findings were generated. Currently, reflection is a
necessity in research in order to make any results valid. Inquiry as integral to the process of
research helps to grow the field being studied, as inquiry opens the opportunity for new research
possibilities. The researcher, though reflection, can make transparent the ways of reasoning
through the research. Through reflection, researchers place their practices under “scrutiny,” and
explore the ethical dilemmas within the research process. As one shapes themself into a stronger
researcher, the field is enhanced because knowledge on how to research can enhance what is
being researched. The natural tendency of being human is to live without reflection. Mortari
provides multiple perspectives on reflection, recognizing that reflection is not a set formula. The
pragmatist perspective is based in logistic evidence and rationality and finding the connection
between actions and consequences. The Deweyan perspective provides the steps to reflection as
perceiving confusion, making an anticipation/guess, surveying the situation, making a solid
hypothesis, and making a plan of action. Reflection occurs both in the moment and after the
moment, called “reflection-in-action,” and “reflection-on-action.” The critical approach
recognizes that social structure, individuality, power relations, and culture controls thoughts. The
hermeneutic perspective is based in technical reflection, practical reflection, and anticipatory
reflection. The phenomenological perspective is less considered in the academic community.
This perspective is based in psychology and science. There are limits to reflection also describes
by Mortari. Capturing the entire complexity of the human mental experience is impossible. There
are certain aspects to thinking we can not access. There is also always bias when remembering
and looking back through memory. There are always pieces missing inevitably. Emotions are
also a valid lens to use in reflection.

The author has the goal of advocating for the importance of reflection during research and life,
and also explain various perspectives of reflection, since reflection is not a set practice with exact
rules. The author is within the philosophy, education, and psychology department, so the author
values psychology as a means to research education. The tone of the writing is academic and the
vocabulary is consistent within the field of psychology. Additionally, the source is peer
reviewed.

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Riley Lathrop May 2019
Bridgewater State University Advanced Individual Project
This source provides information on the importance of reflection in research and can act as a
resource for me as I conduct action research through reflection myself. From this source, I can
explore various types of reflection and write about my own reflection from the lens that includes
ideas from many people in the field. Mortari uses many other people’s ideas, which gives me an
even wider array of possibility when using this as a resource. Research in reflection is not the
most prevalent field of study. This source has affirmed my idea that action research and
reflection is crucial and valuable. Reflection can be a supplement to quantitative research or it
can be research in itself.

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Riley Lathrop May 2019
Bridgewater State University Advanced Individual Project

Giguere, Miriam. “Dance Education Action Research: A Twin Study.” Research in

Dance Education, vol. 16, no. 1, Apr. 2015, pp. 16–32. EBSCOhost,
doi:10.1080/14647893.2014.971231.

This may be where action research and dance education come

together the most; both value sensory embodied experience as a
way of understanding the world and finding your place and power
in it. Knowledge, from this perspective, is not a fixed entity; it is
something that is in a constant state of development (Giguere
2015, 26).

Giguere recognizes that action research is to an extent “elusive.” Action research is based in
critical self-reflection. Action research is a commitment to one’s own accountability, an
inclusion of contextual factors into research, and an effort to provide equality of voice from
participants. In dance education action research, weight is given to students’ experiences rather
than just the teacher’s experience. Action researchers follow a cycle of observation, questioning,
data gathering, analysis, and action planning. Results of action research may include
observations, work samples, surveys, interviews, self-reflective comments, discussion
transcripts, and videos. Privileging the voice of the participants guides the research towards
being focused on change and improvement. The motivation for action research is an effort to
improve the social, political, educational, or organizational contexts of the participants. First
person action research is when an individual participant reflects on their own practice and second
person action research happens when the researcher inquires about others. Action research dives
into using dance to advance social justice. Dance education is the development of self-expression
and self-knowledge through the learning of dance elements such as time, space, and energy.
Benefits to dance include self-esteem, motor learning, communication skills, abstract thinking,
and creation. There is always bias in self reflection, as each human as a different world view.
Action research is about thinking before taking action. Action research is based in the belief that
all people have the right to create their own identities. The embodied experience as a way of
understanding the world allows for knowledge to be in a constant state of development. Self-
reflexivity on its own can be a benefit to the field of dance education, as so many fall into
unexamined habits in which they can mindlessly teach, limiting opportunity to benefit their
students. Action research in the field of dance also builds credibility in teaching dance, and can
help to publicize dance’s complexity to the greater community.

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Riley Lathrop May 2019
Bridgewater State University Advanced Individual Project
Giguere has the goal of comparing action research to dance education through the lens of the
practices, philosophy, and history. Giguere is, through this article, advocating for action research.
Giguere values dance as education, and values self-reflection in teachers. Giguere believes that
students should have agency over their own experience. Giguere’s view of teaching is that the
teacher should teach in a student-centered way, and through this, as the teacher reflects on the
experience for the teacher and students, students will benefit and grow a sense of self. The author
assumes that self-reflection from the teacher will benefit students. The tone is one that is reliable
through remaining academic, using vocabulary appropriate to the field, and it is a peer-reviewed
source.

While my other source in reflexivity and action research dives into the types of action research,
this source directly connects dance education to action research. This source also provides a
direct connection between action research, dance, and self-identity. Giguere focuses on self-
expression and how it can be enhanced in students when the teacher focuses action research on
improving the education conditions of students. This source has affirmed my idea in the
importance of self reflection and the importance of valuing student experience along with my
own experience.