Purpose This study proposes an analytical framework for integrating complementary documentary perspectives in qualitative research on complex educational phenomena. The approach develops a systematic procedure for articulating knowledge distributed across different documentary evidence domains and is illustrated through the case of educational concerts in primary education. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts integrative documentary analysis, a qualitative approach for examining multiple documentary domains. Evidence sources include theoretical research, experiential literature, curricular frameworks and national strategic policy documents. Analytical categories are developed through an iterative process combining deductive and inductive reasoning and are subsequently integrated through a master integration matrix, enabling the identification of convergences across documentary perspectives. Findings The procedure enables the articulation of epistemologically diverse documentary evidence and the reconstruction of conceptual criteria through their convergence. The framework demonstrates its potential to integrate heterogeneous documentary perspectives while preserving their epistemological specificity and generating a coherent set of conceptual criteria, as illustrated through its application to educational concerts in music education. Research limitations/implications The analysis depends on the selected documentary corpus and the Spanish curricular context used in the illustrative case; however, the methodological procedure is transferable to other educational phenomena requiring the integration of multiple documentary perspectives. Originality/value The study contributes to qualitative methodology by proposing integrative documentary analysis, expanding the possibilities of documentary research in education by offering a transparent procedure for integrating evidence from multiple documentary domains.
Purpose This systematic review examines how an intersectional perspective is integrated into participatory methodologies and what it contributes when applied from the outset of the research process. Design/methodology/approach Forty-six studies (2018–2024), identified through systematic searches in regional and international databases, were analyzed. Deductive–inductive coding was guided by seven dimensions: (1) social demand for research, (2) participation in definition of the problem, (3) epistemological plurality in conceptualization, (4) population and territorial heterogeneity, (5) redistribution of epistemic power, (6) relationality and (7) affectivity, situated reflexivity and decentralization of the universal subject. A complementary content analysis enabled the derivation and operationalization of eleven criteria that capture the benefits of integrating an intersectional perspective into participatory methodologies for researchers, professionals and participants. Findings The results reveal uneven integration of these dimensions: social demand and co-definition of the problem are frequent, while epistemological plurality and territorial adaptability appear less often. Methodological families demonstrating a stronger intersectional orientation show a higher concentration of benefits. An evaluative framework of intersectional coherence and a checklist of twenty-one indicators (across the seven dimensions) are proposed to support the planning, monitoring and comparison of participatory research. These tools can be applied both in research development and in policy formulation or organizational practice. Originality/value The product presented in this paper makes applied intersectionality auditable and guides practices with transformative potential in contexts of inequality.
Purpose This article describes Multimodal Simultaneous Analysis, a social semiotic approach designed to synchronously analyze multiple modes (visual, oral, textual, gestural) of data simultaneously to understand how they transact, interact and play in concert. Design/methodology/approach Multimodal Simultaneous Analysis is a social semiotic approach that extends existing multimodal methodologies by coordinating analysis of moment-to-moment multimodal communication. We describe the methodology and its emergence through our analysis of video data from nine preschool teachers' 12 storybook enactments (108 observations). Findings Our findings describe the six analytic steps of Multimodal Simultaneous Analysis (i.e. study design, preliminary monomodal analysis, data matrix across modes, analytic transactional questions, jottings and theorizing patterns) and show how we applied them to understand how teachers synchronously mobilize multiple sign systems in storybook reading. We draw from rich data in our own analysis to show how this methodology makes teachers' complex deployment of multimodal expression visible, creating a scaffold for scholars to adapt this approach to their own multimodal research. Research limitations/implications This methodology facilitates rich analysis of complex multimodal expression often obscured when analysis centers on single modes. Practical implications Multimodal Simultaneous Analysis creates a process for qualitative scholars to generatively work with the dynamic complexity of multimodal data. Social implications As technology expands researchers' abilities to collect rich audiovisual data and carry out complex analyses increases. This methodological innovation will give us new insights into complex, dynamic semiotic expression. Originality/value Multimodal Simultaneous Analysis is a novel methodological approach that extends current multimodal methods for enhanced qualitative analysis of multiple streams of signifiers simultaneously in dynamic expression.
Purpose This general review paper examines the use of NVivo, specifically its memo function, as a reflexive tool for insider-researchers in qualitative studies. It draws on the author's ongoing study, Connecting through Creativity. This study will be used as the case study to offer early observations on how NVivo's memo function might support structured reflexivity and address the gap identified in the literature regarding software support for reflective practice among insider-researchers. Design/methodology/approach Part 1 of this article reviews formative literature on reflexivity, insider-research and NVivo. Part 2 provides preliminary observations from the author's use of the software within the current study, demonstrating how NVivo's memo function operates in practice. Part 3 concludes with strengths, limitations and recommendations for future practice. Although this article does not focus primarily on the advantages and disadvantages of being an insider-researcher per se, reflections on NVivo will lead to discussions of this where relevant. Note: as per the Emerald Publishing ethics policy, Claude-AI was used to assist in proofing, editing, formatting. Findings Within this current study, early use of NVivo's memo function has supported reflections on assumptions, emotions and insider knowledge. While provisional, these reflections suggest NVivo can make reflexivity more visible and actionable by offering a structured, software-based complement to manual reflective approaches. Findings also indicate the potential of NVivo to help researchers track and interrogate the specific advantages or disadvantages of insider positioning, particularly when applied across data collection and analysis. However, this article also acknowledged the limitations of relying on NVivo for reflexivity because it could limit active, deliberate and critical reflective thinking and should not be used passively. Research limitations/implications The current study remains in its early stages, and so the findings included to support the article may not yet capture the full effect of using NVivo in this way. Further research is needed across disciplines with insider-researchers to substantiate these initial impressions. Originality/value This general review paper offers a practice-based account of using NVivo to manage the complexities of insider-research within an ongoing qualitative study. While existing literature addresses NVivo's analytical functions, there is comparatively little work centring researcher reflexivity, and less still focused on the insider-researcher specifically. This article contributes preliminary, applied insights to this underexplored intersection.
Purpose The guitar is an exceptionally popular instrument that has the potential to engage learners in music education, eliciting a positive impact on social, emotional and cognitive development of students. The purpose of this study is to raise awareness of how digital technologies have shifted how guitar can be taught from a teacher-centred approach to a student-centred approach by utilising guitar-specific technologies and general use digital technologies such as social media. Design/methodology/approach By conducting a scoping review of literature, this paper investigates ways in which guitar teachers use digital technologies to motivate students and enhance engagement. Drawing from an extensive literature review (n = 17), thematic analysis was used to code and analyse the data. Three overarching themes (technology and student engagement, guitar pedagogy: teacher challenges, classroom practice: challenges and opportunities) are discussed. Findings The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the multiple ways digital technologies can be included in guitar lessons, highlighting how teachers are positioned in partnership with students using technology and the challenges they navigate when employing technology as a conduit to teach the guitar. They also highlight the importance of support and feedback via teachers and peers through technology as essential to student motivation and engagement. Research limitations/implications This small-scale qualitative research study acknowledges its limitations in sample size; it is interpretive in nature and in breadth. This study specifically focused on instrumental guitar teachers; therefore, generalisations to other instruments and instrumental teachers cannot be made. The findings highlighted a distinct gap in the generalisation across population groups, hence a limitation. Implications from the findings suggest that single digital tools are insufficient for effective student engagement, and teachers should strategically combine multiple software and music tools through a supportive pedagogical approach, such as the flipped approach to teaching and learning. Practical implications The authors draw attention to the need for music teachers to recognise the role digital technologies can play to enhance student engagement. To successfully do this, there is a need within initial teacher education programs to promote digital technologies in teacher training. In addition, pre-service and in-service teachers need to undertake ongoing professional development in how to effectively use multiple tools and structure learning activities that will enhance and improve learning outcomes through digital technologies. Social implications The authors draw attention to the need for instrumental music teachers to be proactive in their use of digital technology to support guitar lessons. This shift to richer learning experiences across lesson content delivery and practice time enables feedback and support from peers and teachers. The role of the teacher is not made redundant by employing digital technology; instead, it is redefined to that of curators, content creators and support for students. Originality/value This is an original work carried out by the authors. It illustrates opportunities for technological use through a wide range of music and guitar-specific activities, such as composition, recording, and practice. The study offers recommendations for teaching practice that can be adopted or adapted to other instrumental teachers and music educators.
Purpose This article aims to unearth the representation of polygamy and gender relations in the series Bidaah through the lens of critical discourse analysis (CDA) and a Qur’anic perspective. The study examines how the depiction of polygamy in the series reflects power structures and gender norms, as well as how it portrays women’s experiences and acts of resistance against oppression. The research seeks to understand how media shapes and reproduces societal gender norms and power hierarchies. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative study employs Norman Fairclough’s CDA approach, with data collected from dialogs and narratives in the series that reflect gender conflicts. By selecting key scenes, the study identifies polygamy as a tool of patriarchal control that often results in the subordination of women. Findings Findings reveal that the series frequently reinforces patriarchal hegemony, positioning women in subordinate roles. However, elements of resistance also emerge, as female characters demonstrate awareness of injustice and attempt to challenge such practices. Furthermore, the study contextualizes Qur’anic interpretations of polygamy within the framework of gender justice. This research contributes to the discourse on polygamy and gender representation in media and underscores the importance of reinterpreting religious texts in modern contexts to promote equality and social justice. Originality/value This study offers an original contribution by integrating Norman Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis with a Qur’anic perspective to examine the representation of polygamy and gender relations in the television series Bidaah, an approach that has rarely been applied in existing media studies. Unlike prior research that predominantly addresses polygamy as a sociocultural or patriarchal phenomenon, this research foregrounds women’s discursive agency and resistance while critically contextualizing Qur’anic interpretations within contemporary debates on gender justice.
PurposeWhile publishing in Western, English-language academic journals, non-native English-speaking (NNES) researchers from the Global South experience significant challenges. They face systemic disadvantages in the publishing industry. Critical assessments provided by reviewers of manuscripts submitted to international journals by NNES authors pose a significant obstacle to publication. This underscores the necessity for research focused on their publishing experiences. Understanding the discursive tools reviewers use to assess the research of NNES authors unconstructively is crucial. Design/methodology/approachUsing critical discourse analysis (CDA), I examined 65 peer reviews from 44 academic journals on manuscripts submitted during the publication of nine articles. The analysis aimed to uncover underlying discursive patterns within the reviews. It involved an assessment of the reviewers' comments that reinforced dominant structures of power and inequality through language. FindingsThe study revealed that reviewers employed several discursive tools: epistemic delegitimisation, foreclosure, superiority, moralisation, and gatekeeping. These categories reflect exclusionary practices in academic publishing. Research limitations/implicationsReviewers need to be mindful of how their assessments may affect emerging NNES authors who often face additional structural challenges in the publication process. It is anticipated that the insights presented in this article will help foster the adoption of more constructive peer review practices within the publishing industry. Originality/valueScholars have examined various dimensions of research and knowledge production. However, the publication stage warrants more focus. There is a pressing need for beginning researchers from the Global South to articulate their experiences and contribute their perspectives within academic discourse.
Purpose The rapid emergence of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has challenged established assumptions about authorship, learning and knowledge production in higher education. Recent research in higher education has focused on AI as a pedagogical tool enhancing student engagement, presenting institutional challenges or raising ethical concerns. However, far less attention has been given to the methodological implications of researching with generative AI. This article experiments with conversational intra-drama as a posthumanist approach to qualitative inquiry. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on posthumanist theory, particularly Barad's concept of intra-action, the study engages ChatGPT in a conversational exchange with the researcher. Rather than treating dialogues as supplementary material, the conversation is positioned as the central site of inquiry. Through a conversational format resembling a semi-structured interview, the human–AI dialogue is analysed diffractively to explore how meaning emerges through entangled interactions between human and non-human participants. Findings A diffractive reading of the conversational exchanges reveals tensions surrounding epistemic authority, academic integrity and the evolving role of AI in higher education. These reflections emerge through the intra-actions between human prompts and algorithmically generated responses, illustrating how knowledge unfolds relationally within human–AI dialogue rather than through fixed analytical conclusions. Originality/value The article contributes to methodological debates in qualitative research by proposing conversational intra-drama as a posthumanist approach for researching human–AI dialogue. By positioning generative AI as a more-than-human conversational participant, the study invites qualitative researchers to think with non-human actors in the production of knowledge, extending post-qualitative approaches to digitally mediated research environments.
Purpose This study examines how six Indonesian EFL university students deploy their truncated linguistic resources to negotiate cultural belonging and academic expectations. Design/methodology/approach Utilizing a relational, interpretivist qualitative design, data were collected through rhizomatic intraviews with students demonstrating fragmented heritage language competencies alongside active English acquisition. Data were analyzed using values coding and matrix displays to capture the fluid, contested nature of identity. Findings The findings unmasked the fact that functional linguistic fluency is not a prerequisite for ethnic identification; instead, students inventively assembled partial competencies into symbolic identity markers to navigate insider/outsider dynamics. Furthermore, while English functioned as an empowering space for digital and global identity experimentation, it reproduced hegemonic native-speaker ideology, inducing linguistic insecurity. Practical implications The findings suggest that educational institutions must embrace pedagogical translanguaging to dismantle raciolinguistic hierarchies, fostering inclusive environments that validate the fragmented linguistic realities of contemporary youth. Social implications This study reconceptualizes multilingual identity as a strategic assembly of unitary repertoires rather than a deficit-driven accumulation of bounded languages. Originality/value The decoupling of linguistic competence from ethnic identification marks fundamental shifts in cultural belonging among multilingual Indonesian youth.
PurposeThis paper aims to clarify how researchers can develop and name themes that remain faithful to the Husserlian descriptive phenomenological tradition and to provide concrete, practice-oriented principles for rigorous phenomenological thematization. Design/methodology/approachGeneral review. This is a methodological discussion paper drawing on Husserlian phenomenology and established descriptive methods (Giorgi, Colaizzi and Moustakas). A purposive literature synthesis (2000–2025) was conducted to examine how “themes” are conceptualised across qualitative traditions. Through comparative analysis, the paper evaluates the suitability of general thematic-analysis procedures for descriptive phenomenology and integrates them into a coherent, eidetic framework. FindingsThe analysis demonstrates that theme development in descriptive phenomenology is a reductive, eidetic practice rather than a coding-driven categorisation process. Findings show that linguistic precision, participant-centred phrasing and explicit engagement with epoché and imaginative variation are essential for producing themes that reflect invariant experiential structures. The paper outlines seven best-practice principles for naming themes and differentiates descriptive phenomenological themes from interpretive or hermeneutic formulations. Research limitations/implicationsThe review is purposive rather than systematic and is conceptual rather than empirical. Future studies should empirically test the proposed naming and validation procedures and compare their application across phenomenological traditions. Practical implicationsThe paper offers concrete tools for novice and experienced researchers, peer reviewers and editors to enhance transparency and descriptive fidelity in phenomenological reporting. Originality/valueThis paper offers one of the first coherent, descriptive phenomenology-specific guidelines for developing and naming themes, providing a philosophically robust alternative to generic thematic naming.
Purpose This paper examines co-problematization as a core process in collaborative qualitative research. It explores how researchers and practitioners jointly define research questions through negotiation, compromise and mutual recognition, ensuring both scientific rigor and practical relevance. Design/methodology/approach Based on qualitative data from collaborative projects involving researchers, PhD students and practitioners, the study adopts an interpretive approach to analyze how tensions are managed and how shared understanding emerges during the formulation of research questions. Findings Results show that defining the research question is an analytical act of collaboration rather than a preliminary task. Co-problematization enables the reconciliation of academic and practical logics, while PhD students act as mediators translating concepts and feedback between both worlds. The process transforms abstract theoretical ideas into contextually grounded knowledge, fostering mutual learning and balanced power dynamics. Originality/value The paper introduces co-problematization as a key marker of quality in qualitative research. It argues that methodological rigor and relevance emerge from iterative negotiation and relational engagement rather than from procedural checklists, thus advancing the understanding of how collaborative inquiry produces credible and useful knowledge.
Purpose Women are often marginalised in career advancement, and an intensifying work environment can worsen this disparity, continuing systemic inequalities and limiting development opportunities. Notably, the intersection of how deeply rooted societal norms and challenges in maintaining a healthy work-life balance impede women's career progress remains underexplored. Drawing upon the conservation of resources theory and social role theory, this study explores the experiences and encounters faced by Malaysian women as they navigate their career progress amid increasing work intensification.Design/methodology/approach Using a qualitative approach, we interviewed two groups of participants. The first group comprised 17 women lecturers from research universities. The second group was a leader informant group providing complementary perspectives and included eight women and men in high-level leadership positions, two participants from NGOs and one senior government official.Findings Findings revealed that work intensification stemmed from (1) KPIs that are becoming unrealistic, (2) bureaucracy, (3) work uncertainties and (4) blurred boundaries between different life domains. Women reported negative impacts from cultural expectations regarding household roles in their work and personal interactions, besides workplace stereotypes, and differential treatment from men. The leader informant group revealed ongoing barriers to career advancement, primarily related to gender role stereotypes and their impact on leadership dynamics.Originality/value Through interviews with a wide range of participants, this study not only contributes to understanding barriers to women's career progress in the contemporary work environment within the context of Malaysia but also explores potential improvements, including institutional reforms and organisational initiatives.
Purpose This article seeks to investigate how key motorsport actors strive to implement legitimate modifications to their organization, technology and policies in order to meet the objectives related to “the green shift.” Design/methodology/approach The article utilizes a fieldwork-based methodology focused on “field-configuring events” (FCEs), supported by three theoretical elements: narratives, relations and scale. This approach is applied through an ethnographic study of a 2023 Formula E event centered on sustainability in motorsports. Findings The study demonstrates how Formula E and its stakeholders leverage the event format to construct, manage and convey a story of positive commitments to the “green shift.” By emphasizing successes over failures, consensus over controversies and networking over the establishment of binding decisions, the event minimizes the critical perspectives necessary for implementing substantial changes to achieve motorsport's green transition. Originality/value This article offers an original methodological contribution by highlighting the potential of ethnographic research on FCEs to bridge academic and practical insights in organizational studies, showcasing the rich, nuanced understanding achievable through an FCE-based methodological framework.
Purpose This paper aims to provide a structured, practice-oriented and methodologically coherent guide to case study research within the qualitative inquiry tradition. The study seeks to clarify the defining characteristics, conceptual foundations, operational processes, strengths, limitations and analytical procedures of case study research while addressing common methodological misunderstandings faced by novice and early career researchers. The paper further aims to demonstrate how case study research can be systematically designed, managed and implemented to investigate complex, context-dependent and under-researched phenomena across disciplines. Design/methodology/approach The paper adopts a conceptual and methodological synthesis approach grounded in established qualitative and case study literature. Drawing from seminal and contemporary methodological scholarship, the article integrates theoretical explanations with practical guidance through a series of structured operational tables covering case study design, applications, data collection, thematic analysis, probing techniques, ethical management and implementation workflows. The paper also incorporates interpretive and thematic analytical perspectives to strengthen methodological transparency and analytical coherence in qualitative case study inquiry. Findings The paper demonstrates that case study research is a rigorous, context-sensitive and interdisciplinary methodology capable of generating rich, holistic and analytically meaningful insights into real-world phenomena. The study highlights that methodological rigour in case study research is strengthened through triangulation, reflexivity, multiple data sources, systematic thematic analysis and clearly bounded case design. The paper further identifies recurring methodological challenges, including limited generalisability, analytical complexity, resource intensity and ethical concerns, while presenting practical mitigation strategies to enhance credibility, transferability and transparency. The study also illustrates how structured workflows, probing techniques and thematic development processes can improve the execution and reporting of case study research. Research limitations/implications As a conceptual and methodological guide, this paper does not report empirical findings or test propositions through field-based investigation. This paper provides a structured framework for conducting case study research; future empirical applications across disciplines may help evaluate, refine and extend its practical and analytical utility. Practical implications The paper provides researchers, students, supervisors and practitioners with a comprehensive and accessible roadmap for designing, conducting and managing rigorous case study research. The structured frameworks, operational guidelines and analytical tools presented in this paper can support improved research design, data management, thematic analysis and methodological decision-making across diverse disciplinary, organisational and applied research contexts. Social implications By promoting methodological clarity, ethical awareness and analytical transparency, the paper contributes to improving the quality, credibility and societal relevance of qualitative research. The guide supports the development of contextually grounded knowledge that can inform organisational practices, strengthen policy development and enhance evidence-based decision-making across complex social and institutional settings. Originality/value The paper offers an original and highly structured synthesis of case study research by integrating conceptual foundations with applied methodological guidance in a single coherent framework. Unlike broad qualitative research overviews, the article focuses specifically on case study research and provides a systematic operational roadmap supported by integrative tables, practical examples and analytical guidance. The paper contributes value to both novice and experienced researchers seeking a rigorous, accessible and practically applicable reference for conducting qualitative case study research.
Purpose- This creative entry experiments with what becomes possible when the human is decentred in educational experiences and how virtual similar to relational spaces provoke unexpected encounters that unsettle dominant, power-based boundaries in knowledge production. It highlights the quieter, softer, immanent productions of collaboration that bodies, places and brute relational disruptions enact as care. Design/methodology/approach- On March 4th, the second author facilitated a guest co-learning lecture for Global Perspectives in Post-qualitative Research: students gathered in person, and a guest (the first author) joined virtually - they were all together yet apart. What unfolded was less a lecture and more a co composed experiment in relationality, a brute force of human and nonhuman entanglements lived collectively and unpredictably. We present the event as conceptual contribution, mapped through four movements: (1) emerging post qualitative researcher; (2) enacting post qualitative researcher; (3) explaining and experiencing post qualitative researcher and (4) expanding post qualitative researcher. Rather than concluding, we linger in the messy and indeterminate, asking how virtual connections shift mentoring, care and the circulation of knowledge in post qualitative encounters. Findings- Each movement reveals co authorial presence, the gentle quieting of human centred authority and the brute disruptions that occur when collaboration exceeds control. These disruptions signal intensity of emergence, showing what becomes visible when expectation, hierarchy and human-centred certainty are suspended. Research limitations/implications- As a conceptual contribution, this work emits and provokes rather than substantiates. It resists finite conclusions, offering a lived, relational encounter attentive to the agencies of virtual spaces and the limits of human knowledge within post-human, post-qualitative inquiry. Practical implications- Decentring the human emerges as both method and lived co-creative process in relational teacher education contexts for others to consider and implement. Social implications- This supports relational, ethical and place-honouring teacher education. This exploration into decentring researchers in virtual spaces through post-human, relational and post-qualitative theory promotes the quietening of hierarchical power structures and supports those in preparatory positions to remain aware of and work within and/or without them. Originality/value- This is among the first explorations of decentring researchers in virtual spaces through post-human, relational, post-qualitative theory.
PurposeThis study explores how an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learner in an Intensive English Language Program (IELP) at a Turkish university constructs her future English-speaking selves and how these imagined identities shape her investment in language learning within an exam-oriented institutional context. Drawing on theories of identity, imagined communities, and investment, the study aims to illuminate how learners negotiate tensions between personal aspirations and institutional demands over time.Design/methodology/approachAdopting a qualitative narrative inquiry, the study focuses on the longitudinal learning story of one focal learner, Melisa. Data were generated through multiple in-depth narrative interviews, institutional documents and contextual data from the IELP-setting. Analysis was conducted using thematic narrative analysis, attending to both the content of Melisa's narratives and how she positioned herself across past, present, and imagined future learning experiences.FindingsThe findings reveal three interconnected phases in Melisa's English learning trajectory: early disengagement shaped by exam-driven schooling, a turning point marked by the emergence of imagined academic and global identities, and a negotiated and strategically adapted form of investment within the university preparatory program. While Melisa sustained strong future-oriented aspirations, her investment was often strategically shaped by institutional constraints, leading her to balance institutional compliance with self-directed learning practices.Originality/valueBy offering a detailed narrative account, this study contributes to research on second language (L2) identity and investment by showing how learners maintain purpose and agency even when institutional conditions limit meaningful participation. Methodologically, it demonstrates the value of narrative inquiry for capturing identity and investment as lived, evolving processes.
PurposeThis article provides insights into the value of pilot studies in facilitating and enhancing knowledge transfer within the broader field of journalism research. It specifically examines the context-dependent challenges, opportunities, and limitations associated with conducting pilot studies.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on a pilot study conducted with German journalism students for a Design Thinking project in 2023, this article proposes a three-phase analytical framework (pre-, main, and post-phase) for understanding how pilot studies facilitate knowledge transfer in journalism research.FindingsPilot studies can strengthen the transfer and co-construction of knowledge, mitigate methodological uncertainty, and thereby foster more rigorous qualitative research designs. Participatory Design Thinking workshops involving journalism students have demonstrated effectiveness in this regard.Originality/valueThis study extends the limited body of scholarship on knowledge transfer in journalism by introducing a conceptual framework for analysing challenges, opportunities, and limitations of pilot studies. In doing so, it foregrounds pilot studies as a distinctive methodological contribution to advancing qualitative inquiry in journalism research.
Purpose This article intervenes in debates that position generative artificial intelligence (AI) as incompatible with reflexive qualitative research. It challenges the assumption that technological mediation undermines meaning-making, arguing instead that mediation is a constitutive condition of reflexivity. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on relational epistemology and human-machine communication, the article develops a conceptual framework that reconceptualizes reflexivity as a relational practice enacted through dialogue, co-presence and mediated interaction. It advances three interlinked concepts: relational practice, partial reparation and reflexive pluralism, while situating their ethical enactment within a framework of situated ethics. Findings The analysis shows that AI-assisted reflexivity can sustain interpretive depth, ethical attentiveness and methodological rigor when practiced transparently and contextually. Rather than displacing human interpretation, generative AI reconfigures the dialogic conditions through which reflexivity is enacted, introducing productive friction that sharpens analytic judgment. Research limitations/implications As a conceptual viewpoint, the article does not provide empirical validation. Future research should examine co-reflexive human-AI workflows through applied, participatory or comparative qualitative designs. Practical implications The framework encourages researchers to document AI-mediated interactions, maintain reflexive audit trails, and embed transparency and accountability into qualitative workflows. Social implications By situating AI within the interpretive ecology rather than outside it, the article advances epistemic, cognitive and linguistic justice, particularly for scholars working under conditions of structural constraint, including those in the Global South and neurodivergent researchers. Originality/value The article offers a theoretical synthesis linking reflexivity, generative AI, and communication ethics. It reframes qualitative inquiry under technological mediation by integrating relational practice, partial reparation and reflexive pluralism within a broader commitment to situated ethics.
