Although there has been a growing interest in reflexivity and researcher positionality, the practical applications of reflexivity remain largely unexplored. Addressing this gap, Consoli and Ganassin collect contributions drawing on empirical studies from 14 applied linguistics researchers across 10 chapters to provide ‘research-informed guidance on how reflexivity can be understood and practised in applied linguistics research’ (p. 1). Highlighting the importance of embracing the ‘humanness embedded within our inquiries’ (p. 2), the edited volume shows how researchers in diverse subfields of applied linguistics approach questions of identity and positioning as they provide the reader with data-driven guidelines regarding how to position themselves in relation to the researched. The volume starts with an introductory chapter in which Consoli and Ganassin provide a comprehensive overview of how reflexivity has been conceptualized in applied linguistics as well as the aims, rationale, and theoretical context of the book. The editors define reflexivity as a set of attitudes and actions through which researchers position themselves within the research process, while also being mindful of the ways in which their research is informed by their involvement, expertise, values, beliefs, and personal and professional backgrounds. They also problematize the negative discourses circulating around reflexivity that ‘warn’ against researcher’s biases and the need to suppress researcher’s presence and behavior so as to not ‘contaminate’ the research. Drawing on the concept of life capital (Consoli 2020, 2022), the editors suggest that researchers should be encouraged to discuss their life experiences within their inquiries because the life capital of a researcher constitutes ‘a source of invaluable insights that further enrich the multi-layered analyses and representations of research data and findings’ (p. 6).
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Merve Özçelik (2023) studied this question.