Ethics and Reflexivity in Mixed Methods Research: An Examination of Current Practices and a Call for Further Discussion

Reflexive Integration of Research Elements (RIRE)

“…Similarly, this article highlights an example study with "procedural detail" (see Gutterman et al, 2019) that attempted to illustrate RIRE as inherent to the MMR process. RIRE may also be a bridge that connects reflexivity operating unconsciously, the unconscious predilection for making decisions in research, and activating reflexivity to operate in the foreground as a central tool of MMR (see Biddle & Schaff, 2015;Cain et al, 2019;Hesse-Biber, 2010). This requires the conscious acknowledgement of reflexivity operating in the first place.…”

“…Future work in this area should attempt, discuss, and illustrate reflexive integration of qualitative elements into quantitative studies (i.e., RIRE-quant). This will help with highlighting the full utility of RIRE, as reflexive integration should not be limited to qualitative research (see Cain et al, 2019). The key objective to implement RIRE is reflexivity or reflexive moments during the research process, coupled with a consideration of research elements.…”

Ethical challenges of researching emergent socio-material-technological phenomena: insights from an interdisciplinary mixed-methods project using mobile eye-tracking

“…In the following section, we discuss ethical challenges and dilemmas we have been facing in the project, to contribute to the recognized need (as discussed above) for "transparency through the use of reflexive practice" (Preissle et al, 2015, p. 158) in MMR (Cain et al, 2019;Collins et al, 2013). Initially, following Markham's (2006, p. 48;Preissle et al, 2015) recommendation, we sought ethical advice from one of the authors who is a researchethics expert at an Austrian university and a member of the project's SAB.…”

“…Rather, "what we call simply 'method' is a multilayered set of inductive and non-linear processes, guided by the context and research questions" (Markham, 2006, p. 46). This makes methodical quality an ethical matter, as Mark and Lenz-Watson (2011, p. 199) point out (Cain et al, 2019).…”

“…However, until now, it is rarely acknowledged that method innovation is always also an inherently ethical endeavour (Nind et al, 2013;Markham et al, 2018). Particularly in the comparatively new strand of MMR, the discussion on ethics and reflexivity is waiting to be shaped (Plano Clark et al, 2015;Cain et al, 2019;Collins et al, 2013;Evans et al, 2011). According to Hesse-Biber and Johnson (2013, p. 106), the dynamic character of MMR makes it essential for researchers "to continually reflect on their ethical standpoints throughout their research project, as they may encounter thorny ethical issues after a [MMR] project is in progress".…”