Can Writing Be Wrong? Collaborative Autoethnography as Critical Reflective Practice in Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology

Authors

Sae-Mi Lee, California State University, Los AngelesFollow
Janaina Fogaca, California State University, Long BeachFollow
Marlen Harrison, Florida International UniversityFollow

Abstract

Critical reflective practice (CRP) facilitates macro-level reflections about social contexts and power structures through the interrogation of one’s own experiences (Knowles & Gilbourne, 2010). Despite the importance of CRP, examples of how one actually engages in CRP are scarce in sport psychology. Moreover, given that writing in academia is traditionally “author evacuated” (Knowles & Gilbourne, 2010, p. 512), it is questionable how traditional writing practices help facilitate critical reflections. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine how sport psychology professionals can engage in CRP through the use of author-centered writing. Specifically, we responded to Knowles and Gilbourne’s (2010) call to use autoethnography as a way to engage in, as well as document, critical reflective writing. Through author-centered writing, we reflected on normalized practices that can hinder CRP. The detailed written accounts and collaborative process helped us recognize how the personal is political (Hanisch, 2006), and why culture and power are always important for sport psychology professionals to consider.

Keywords

Critical Reflections, Evocative Autoethnography, Applied Psychology

Author Bio(s)

Dr. Sae-Mi Lee is an Assistant Professor in the School of Kinesiology, Nutrition and Food Science at California State University, Los Angeles. Correspondence regarding this article can be addressed directly to slee318@calstatela.edu.

Dr. Janaina Fogaça is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Kinesiology at California State University, Long Beach.

Dr. Marlen Harrison is a lecturer in the Department of English at Florida International University.

Publication Date

10-9-2020

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2020.4357

Recommended APA Citation

Lee, S., Fogaca, J., & Harrison, M. (2020). Can Writing Be Wrong? Collaborative Autoethnography as Critical Reflective Practice in Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology. The Qualitative Report, 25(10), 3562-3582. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2020.4357