In exploring Reflexive Pedagogy among teacher educators, one is confronted with the tension between the use of evidence-based practice, based upon solid ‘objective’ research, and reflection, with its ‘subjectivity’ and personal perception, can it be argued that reflection is research. Would be glad for your comments, suggestions …
Anthony:
Johnson and Duberley (2003) defends reflexivity as a methodology in research and deals with the issue of subjectivity in the following that might answer your question:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1467-6486.00380/full
Best regards,
Debra
Not all research paradigms require objectivity. Those who don't often rely on continental philosophy (e.g. Heidegger) or Donald Schön’s work on reflective practice as rather than positivism as a ground for their research.
Teaching is an interesting example as teachers are certainly reflective practitioners in the way Schön defined them. I would, however, not easily count their reflection in action as a basis for the evidence-based practice of other teachers, unless these reflections are somehow generalized and validated for a larger community, such as is done in the pedagogical pattern community for example.
So your question to what extend teacher reflection/reflexivity counts as research is more a question of purpose and audience, and not so much of definition.
Schön, Donald A. The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. Vol. 5126. Basic books, 1983.
Hi Anthony,
I would be interested to hear from you, or from other research gate academics, of what is considered as "objective research" in Education. My thought would be that all educational research is subjective, and it is only the degree of subjectivity which is in question.
Regards, Kevin.
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