Using reflective writing within research

TLDR

Reflective writing is a cornerstone of reflective practice, purported to enhance critical thinking, analytical skills, cognitive development, creativity, and the ability to forge novel connections—qualities essential to competent researchers. This study examines the features of reflective writing and its application as a method, data source, and analytical tool in qualitative research. The authors analyze reflective writing’s characteristics and its integration into qualitative research design and analytic processes. They argue that reflective writing, though increasingly visible in qualitative reports, must be more fully acknowledged as central to methodological processes and recognized as an essential component of research methodology.

Abstract

Reflective writing has become established as a key component of reflective practice, and central to the notion of learning from experience. Claims are made in the reflective practice literature of the capacity for reflective writing to develop the writer’s critical thinking and analytical abilities, contribute to their cognitive development, enable creativity and unique connections to be made between disparate sets of information, and to contribute to new perspectives being taken on issues. All of these are attributes to be expected in competent researchers. Thus, this paper considers the features of reflective writing and its use within qualitative research as a method in its own right, as a data source and within the analytical processes. It is argued that, although reflective writing is increasingly becoming visible within qualitative research reports, it needs to be further acknowledged as central to the methodological processes within research studies and recognised as an essential part of their methodology.