Theme: Becoming a Critically Reflective, Ethically Grounded, and Lifelong Researcher
Duration: 1 week (self-paced)
Level: MA / MSc / Early PhD Preparation
Format: Fully self-contained, independent study
🔷 15.1 Purpose of This Module
This module equips you to critically reflect on your research journey—not just as a set of tasks completed, but as a personal and intellectual transformation. It encourages the development of academic identity, resilience, ethics, and lifelong research literacy.
By the end, you will be able to:
- Practice and articulate reflexivity in your work
- Identify your strengths, blind spots, and learning needs as a researcher
- Develop habits of self-evaluation, ethical integrity, and professional growth
- Strategise for ongoing development in academic or applied research roles
📖 15.2 What Is Reflective Practice in Research?
Reflective practice is the deliberate, critical examination of your experiences, decisions, assumptions, and growth throughout the research process.
It helps researchers:
- Improve future work
- Avoid repeating mistakes
- Grow in intellectual honesty and methodological maturity
- Recognise the emotional and human side of research
🔄 15.3 Models of Reflection (with Examples)
A. Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle (1988)
| Stage | What to Ask | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Description | What happened? | I struggled to finish my literature review on time. |
| Feelings | What were you thinking/feeling? | I felt overwhelmed and unsure of what to prioritise. |
| Evaluation | What was good/bad? | Good: I used research databases. Bad: I didn’t time-block. |
| Analysis | Why did this happen? | I underestimated how long reading would take. |
| Conclusion | What else could I have done? | Started with summaries first, not full papers. |
| Action Plan | What will you do next time? | Plan weekly reading goals and use article abstracts to triage. |
B. Brookfield’s Four Lenses
Reflect from different viewpoints:
| Lens | Focus | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Self | Your internal response | I realised I feared judgment in data interpretation. |
| Learner’s Eyes | As if you were learning from you | Would my future self follow my plan confidently? |
| Colleagues | Peer or supervisor views | My supervisor said my coding lacked clarity. |
| Theory | Scholarly perspective | My methods mirrored the constructivist approach well. |
👤 15.4 Researcher Identity and Positionality
Your positionality includes your background, beliefs, privileges, and values—and how they shape your research decisions.
Ask:
- What worldviews do I bring to my research?
- Am I an insider or outsider to the group I study?
- Could my assumptions affect what I notice, value, or interpret?
Example:
A male researcher studying women’s experiences of workplace bias must reflect on how gender, privilege, and perspective shape interview questions and analysis.
🧠 15.5 Developing as a Researcher
A. Skills Inventory
| Skill Area | Example Strength | Development Area |
|---|---|---|
| Academic Writing | Clear topic sentences | Need to improve transitions |
| Time Management | Keeps deadlines | Struggles with consistency |
| Data Analysis | Strong coding | Weak statistical confidence |
| Reflexivity | Aware of bias | Needs deeper theoretical grounding |
✅ Use this to set concrete learning targets.
B. Professional Development Goals
| Goal | Action Plan | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Improve qualitative coding | Watch NVivo tutorials + practise coding 3 interviews | 2 weeks |
| Write for publication | Draft short article from dissertation findings | 6 weeks |
| Present research | Apply to local postgraduate conference | This term |
✅ Treat yourself as a growing professional, not just a student.
🧭 15.6 Research Ethics and Long-Term Integrity
Reflecting ethically isn’t only about approval forms. It’s also about:
- How you represent people’s voices
- Who benefits from your research
- How honestly you report challenges and limits
Ethical reflection asks: Did I serve my participants, my field, and my values well?
Example:
In writing up interview quotes, you anonymise but also remove terms that could imply race or status to protect identities. You footnote why and how this decision was made.
🛠 15.7 Self-Learning Task Set (Independent Exercises)
✍️ TASK 1: Write a 300-word Reflective Journal Entry
Reflect on your learning journey using Gibbs’ Cycle:
- Describe a moment of challenge or growth
- Explore your thoughts, actions, mistakes, insights
- Plan what you’d do differently next time
🧭 TASK 2: Draft Your Researcher Identity Statement
Write 200–250 words covering:
- Your academic worldview
- What you value in good research
- How your background shapes your choices
- How you hope to grow as a researcher
📈 TASK 3: Personal Skills Audit
Using the table below, score yourself (1 = weak, 5 = strong):
| Area | Score | Reflection |
|---|---|---|
| Writing clarity | ___ | What improves my style? |
| Reading focus | ___ | Do I skim or take notes well? |
| Methodological confidence | ___ | What am I unsure about? |
| Ethics awareness | ___ | Do I apply or reflect deeply? |
| Self-management | ___ | Am I realistic with my time? |
✅ Use this to identify 1 skill to strengthen and build a 2-week improvement plan.
📚 TASK 4: Researcher Development Map
Create a 3–6 month action plan with:
- 3 short-term goals
- 2 mid-term goals (e.g., conference, paper)
- 1 long-term vision (e.g., PhD or publication track)
🔍 15.8 Summary of Key Takeaways
- Reflective practice strengthens your future work and deepens insight
- Researcher identity includes beliefs, biases, and background—acknowledging this adds value
- Developing as a researcher is lifelong and multidimensional
- Ethical reflection and growth mindset ensure you remain not just skilled, but principled
- You are not only finishing a project—you’re becoming a better scholar
✅ End-of-Module Self-Evaluation Checklist
| Concept | Yes / No |
|---|---|
| I practised structured reflection on my learning | ☐ |
| I articulated my researcher identity and goals | ☐ |
| I audited my academic and professional skills | ☐ |
| I made a plan for further development | ☐ |
| I understand reflection as part of ethical, lifelong scholarship | ☐ |
Would you now like:
- ✅ A summary document outlining all 15 modules at a glance?
- 📄 A formatted PDF or Notion template for the full syllabus?
- 🛠 Or a follow-up course suggestion (e.g., advanced thesis writing, publishing, or PhD prep)?
Let me know how you’d like to proceed!