Context: Some uncertainty surrounds both the definition and the application of reflexivity in participatory research and practice development. There is scope for further exploration of what reflexivity might look like in practice, and how the researcher/practice developer and participants might be involved. This paper does this in the context of a study that is using appreciative inquiry to explore the experience of inspection in care homes.

Aims: I will explore my personal journey into the use of a relational constructionist approach to reflexivity and suggest that the 7 Cs of caring conversations provide a useful framework to inform reflexive practice. The 7 Cs will be used as a framework for the telling of this story.

Implications for practice:

• Relational reflexivity has the potential to create the space for all those involved in research/practice development initiatives to voice their thoughts and feelings about the initiative and their involvement in it
• The 7 Cs of caring conversations can provide a framework for developing questions that may serve as a starting point for cultivating reflexive practice

https://doi.org/10.19043/ipdj.61.008

This article by Edel Roddy and Belinda Dewar is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 3.0 License.