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Humanizing Applied Linguistics through Reflexivity: Dr Sal Consoli, University of Edinburgh
Abstract: Reflexivity entails an examination of the researcher’s “origins, biography, locality and intellectual bias” (Blackman, 2007, p.700) whilst recognizing the “humanness” embedded in the processes and content of our research (Dean, 2017). Despite its burgeoning currency in applied linguistics, questions about the actual aims, practices, and outcomes of reflexivity remain. Specifically, in this workshop, I will explore: What does it mean to be a reflexive applied linguistics researcher? How can reflexivity be practiced throughout a study? I will draw on my recently published edited collection, which focuses on “doing” reflexivity through an ethical, epistemological, and methodological lens that does justice to the complexities and diversity of applied linguistics.
I will first discuss the notion of reflexivity as a social practice within the vast landscape of applied linguistics. To do so, I will refer to key theoretical perspectives, including those that construe reflexivity as “an ongoing, multifaceted, and dialogical process” (Byrd-Clark & Dervin, 2014, pp. 2-3) and a means of conducting sound research without sacrificing the human dimensions of our inquiries (Dean, 2017). This discussion will help us conceptualize the effects that, as researchers, we may have on the phenomena, persons, and products of our investigations. I will then propose an approach to reflexivity which departs from discourses that depict the researcher as a source of methodological limitations or contamination. Rather, I invite applied linguists to become (self-)aware and develop dispositions to identify, scrutinize, and celebrate their humanity as a source of epistemological diversity and inclusivity
Dr Sal Consoli is an Assistant Professor in Education and Director of Research Methods in Education at the University of Edinburgh. He is also Research Fellow at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden. His research interests include psychology of education and internationalisation of education. His work has appeared in international journals such as System, Higher Education, TESOL Quarterly, Journal of English for Academic Purposes. He has developed the concept of life capital for language education research, and this concept is now being used in various sub-domains of education. Dr Consoli has an active interest in researcher reflexivity, and he is Co-Editor of Reflexivity in Applied Linguistics (Routledge, 2023). He is Associate Editor of the journal Research Methods in Applied Linguistics (Elsevier), and co-Editor of Cambridge Elements in Research Methods in Education (CUP).
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