The interview as an opportunity for participant reflexivity

Abstract

This article illustrates participant reflexivity in an interview. Even though scholars have called for ‘a consideration of real-time reflexivity as a means of reconfiguring the participant within epistemological research debates’ (Riach, 2009: 366) illustrations of real-time reflexivity are hard to locate in literature. Most accounts of reflexivity focus on the researcher, and are generally post-research reflections on the research process. This article presents a closely-analysed segment of a semi-structured interview, where the participant changes her position on militarisation in Sri Lankan universities during the interview. This is presented as an instance of realtime participant reflexivity. Using this interview, factors contributing towards reflexivity in interviews are examined and a case made for closer examination of the participant’s reflexivity in qualitative research.

Exploring Clinical Practice and Developing Clinician Self-Reflection Through Cross Self-Confrontation Methodology: An Application Within an Addiction Medicine Unit

“…As expected, CSC probably provided access to information that would have escaped clinical interaction observations or the discourse on clinical practice, had it been a semi-structured interview. Most commonly used qualitative methods have great potentials in generating knowledge and stimulating uses of these have demonstrated, for example, the interest of participant observation for exploring clinical practice ( Savage, 2000 ), the transformative potential of focus groups ( Hyde et al, 2005 ) or the development of participant reflexivity through interview ( Perera, 2020 ). However, our results support that CSC heightened the reflective potential of the research process.…”

Exploring clinical practice and developing clinician self-reflection through cross self-confrontation methodology: an experimentation within an addiction medicine unit

“…Most commonly used qualitative methods have great potentials in generating knowledge and interesting uses of these in the medical field have demonstrated, for example, the interest of participant observation for exploring clinical practice (Savage, 2000), the transformative potential of focus groups (Hyde, Howlett, Brady, & Drennan, 2005) or the development of participant reflexivity through interview (Perera, 2020). However, our results supports that CSC heightened the reflective potential of the research process and favored access to "this "hard to say" with which we could maybe do something different than what we do" (Clot, 2005, p.43).…”

Interviewing academic elites: a discourse analysis of shifting power relations

“…I had no ‘trust credits’ to draw on here, being unacquainted with Bimal and no reputation to draw on, being a junior scholar from a different discipline. Given the anxieties over security and surveillance in universities at the time, many individuals were careful not to voice antipathy against the government of the time unless they were in comfortable spaces (see Perera, 2020). Bimal’s critical views were being audio recorded whereas I had not reciprocated similarly.…”