Before reading this weeks peice by Qualley, I automatically assumed that both Refective and Reflexive meant the same thing. I often assume, which can get me in trouble, but because these two words are so closely related to eachother, they have to be the same, right? Well, I was totally wrong! In fact, these words can be considered complete opposites from eachother, practically strangers. Like every student I was familiar with being reflective, but I had never comes across the term reflexive until now. When you get past their looks and read into the deeper meanings, you realize that in all honesty, the only comparison between the two are that they start with the leture "R" and they are closely related when it comes to their spellings.
To be a reflective researcher, you focus on your own thoughts, your own past, and what you already know. It is an undirectional thought process brough about by your opinions, nothing else is involved in this type of researching process. Although it sounds a bit self-centered, you focus on yourself and base your observations on things such as your own accomplishments. For instance; think back to highschool, or even now if you are in college and focus on your writings. Has a professor ever told you to write another paragraph after a writing was finished? Did it include the things you thought you did well and the things you could have worked on? If so, that is part of being a reflective student/researcher.
On the other hand, to be reflexive, you rely on engagements with others to trigger your thoughts and research information. Reflexivity is a response triggered by a dialectical engagement with the other- whether it be an idea, person, theory, or culture. (Qualley) Being reflexive doesn't mean basing information on things that come solely from your mind, but observing and listening to others in order to grasp a concept. You must pull away from the information that you already know in order to gain an understanding and be open to new information, perspectives, and ideas. In my opinion, to be reflexive is a much better approach to researching. This is because you will be open to more ideas rather than ending up with a biased opinion based solely on your own reasonings.
To be a reflective researcher, you focus on your own thoughts, your own past, and what you already know. It is an undirectional thought process brough about by your opinions, nothing else is involved in this type of researching process. Although it sounds a bit self-centered, you focus on yourself and base your observations on things such as your own accomplishments. For instance; think back to highschool, or even now if you are in college and focus on your writings. Has a professor ever told you to write another paragraph after a writing was finished? Did it include the things you thought you did well and the things you could have worked on? If so, that is part of being a reflective student/researcher.
On the other hand, to be reflexive, you rely on engagements with others to trigger your thoughts and research information. Reflexivity is a response triggered by a dialectical engagement with the other- whether it be an idea, person, theory, or culture. (Qualley) Being reflexive doesn't mean basing information on things that come solely from your mind, but observing and listening to others in order to grasp a concept. You must pull away from the information that you already know in order to gain an understanding and be open to new information, perspectives, and ideas. In my opinion, to be reflexive is a much better approach to researching. This is because you will be open to more ideas rather than ending up with a biased opinion based solely on your own reasonings.
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