"Reflection and reflexivity explained"

From TU812 Study Guide, p. 40 (OU, 2010).

"When did you last step out of your day-to-day activities, even momentarily, and think about what you are doing? ... All of these can be opportunities or catalysts for reflection on what we do. ... But reflection can move to another level – we can pause to think about ‘what it is we do when we do what we do’. This apparently awkward phrase is not redundant, it is circular. .. a process of stepping outside the framework in which normal reflection occurs.

At its simplest reflexivity can be understood as a higher order form of reflection.... Reflexivity starts to operate when in one’s daily practices you move beyond reflection and interpretation (first-order processes) to reflection on reflection or interpretation of interpretation (second-order processes). Reflexivity concerns both what and why.

A key aspect to reflexivity is seeing yourself as always part of, as well as responsible for the framing of, situations and acting with awareness that this is always the case."

Reference

Open University (OU) (2010) TU812 Managing systemic change: inquiry, action and interaction. Study guide [Online], UK, Charlesworth.