Conducting Reflexive Research: Insights from the Compilation of a Teaching Toolkit at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, UK

This case study is based on original research for a new teaching toolkit at the University of East Anglia (UEA), in Norwich, UK. The toolkit seeks to support the cultivation of equitable, fair, and dignified learning environments in UK Higher Education. It is grounded in decolonial principles that emphasize the relevance of ongoing reflexivity and critical awareness while striving for social justice. Primary data collection for the toolkit consisted of two components: examples of teaching or teaching-related practice, submitted by members of staff at the university; and students’ insights of their learning experiences, shared with the toolkit team through an online survey and interviews that were held either face-to-face or online. The case study refers to the student survey and interviews only, conducted between May and July 2022. We discuss the features, challenges and opportunities of our data collection approach, which was based on reflexive research practice. The central elements of reflexive research practice entail ongoing awareness of researchers’ and research participants’ positionality, and critical reflection about the power dynamics that affect the interplay between researchers, research participants and their research environment. Readers will learn about the practical steps that we took to reduce the power asymmetries between researchers and research participants; the strategies that we followed to ensure that participants felt safe and respected when sharing their insights about sensitive topics relating to lived experiences of racialisation, ethnicity, nationality, gender, and class; and the relevance of ongoing communication and debriefing among the research team.