Deepening reflexivity through art in learning qualitative research

Reflexivity involves examining one’s background and perspectives in relation to the research topic, participants, and the processes and practices of research. Building on the growing field of utilizing arts-based practices in teaching qualitative research, in this article we examine how one doctoral student’s engagement with drawing and painting within and beyond a qualitative research class supported her developing reflexivity. Guided by an interactional ethnographic perspective, we conducted domain, taxonomic, and discourse analyses of the student’s art, reflection journals, video of a class presentation, and retrospective reflections she wrote three years later. Through these analyses we make visible that reflexivity through art creates potentials for understanding and transcending one’s background to create new opportunities for learning about self and research. We also argue that deepening reflexivity requires a commitment to engage in the discomforts of learning in order to develop new ways of thinking and researching.