Creating Inspiring Workshops and Courses in Transdisciplinarity: A Guide - Manual / Resource - Page 102
Practices in transdisciplinary research
Designing for and reviewing process and impacts
Re昀氀ection and re昀氀exivity
What are the implications of re昀氀exivity for TDR practice?
What is the difference between re昀氀ection and re昀氀exivity?
Although reflexivity can be understood to be a central element
of good TDR practice, it can be overlooked in research design
and planning. Good reflexive practice means developing and
maintaining a systematic and regular process for checking in
with oneself and the team, and can also be useful in planning
for different functions of reflection and reflexivity as projects
progress. In early stages, an individual may reflect on their
motivations, intentions, and positionality toward or within the
topic and actor networks. This may also involve reflecting on
their preferred or intended role(s) (see Role(s) of researchers, page
76) and aspirations for change with regard to the topic or issue.
For example, for a team conducting a theory of change process
to identify the assumptions they are bringing to a process,
collectively reflecting on the origins of those assumptions can be
a central part of “testing” them to determine their plausibility.
Reflection and reflexivity are related but not the same. Reflection
is the iterative act of looking back or seriously thinking about
a situation in the moment so as to understand or improve it.
Reflexivity is reflection about oneself, with the willingness
to change oneself or let oneself be changed by the project. It
involves thinking about one’s own normativity (see Normativity,
page 92) and actions; how and why the work is challenging,
expanding, or otherwise changing one’s own thoughts, attitudes,
and actions as a participant in the process. Reflexivity can involve
reflecting on what to let go of, or what skills and ways of being to
foster. Reflexive processes can be conducted either individually
or as a team as a process to support pluralism in practice.
What is the conceptual relevance of re昀氀exivity to TDR?
The practice of reflection is central to TDR, as projects tend to
be iterative, adaptive, and context-dependent rather than linear
and fixed. Reflexivity is fundamental to being able to support
diverse teams to develop social learning and an experimental
approach to complex and dynamic social-ecological challenges,
especially when a goal of the project or program is to facilitate
transformation. Both reflection and reflexivity are critical
practices and commitments in TDR projects, and ultimately
lead not only to better projects but to changing oneself as a
researcher.
p. 97
As a project matures, structured times and spaces for reflection
can help all team members:
•
Consider the functionality of the earlier project design
(including research questions, methodology, and methods)
toward their stated goals or vision;
•
Assess and potentially re-assess those goals and whether
they still fit under changing contextual conditions;
•
Clarify how understanding of the problem and potential
solutions is changing as the project progresses, and how
that may challenge earlier assumptions;
Practices Reflection and reflexivity
