Reflexivity

Reflexivity emphases the importance of self-awareness, political/cultural consciousness and ownership of one’s perspective.  Being reflexive involves self-questioning and self-understanding.  To be reflexive is to undertake an ongoing examination of what I know and how I know it.  

Reflexivity reminds the qualitative inquirer to be attentive to and conscious of various issues that may impact on their research, such as the cultural, political, social, linguistic, and ideological origins of one’s own perspective.  

I think that reflexivity is particularly important in qualitative research because in qualitative research, unlike in quantitative research, the researcher is the instrument.  It is the researcher who interprets the qualitative data to reach findings and conclusions.  The credibility of qualitative methods, therefore, depends to a great extent on the skill, competence, and rigor of the researcher doing the fieldwork – as well as things going on in a person’s life that might prove a distraction.  

Reflexivity is important because your 'computer programming' may lead to prejudices and bias, thereby providing invalid research and research that is not good.      

You need to constantly ask yourself questions, such as what baggage to I have that may interfere in my research?