With Students, as a Student: Using Reflexive Autoethnography to Make Sense of Navigating Student–Researcher Liminality in a Ph.D.

Authors

• Melody Bishop, Department of Sociology, Durham University, United KingdomFollow

Abstract

Postgraduate researchers (PGRs) are increasingly encouraged to practice reflexivity. But there is a lack of PGR-authored literature about what it means to negotiate multiple identities, particularly for student–researchers doing research with students. This paper explores challenges experienced during a longitudinal Ph.D. project involving undergraduate students with long-term health conditions. I present outcomes of a reflexive autoethnographic analysis of a diary kept making sense of research challenges, including holding dual positions as a student–researcher at the same institution. Drawing on the notion of liminality, I argue that the boundaries between my student–researcher identities, and between myself and participants, have been consistently unstable. Findings are presented as four student–researcher identities, each occupying a different liminal space between student and researcher: student–peer–researcher; student–mentor–researcher; student–patient–researcher; and (becoming a) student–activist–researcher. I discuss seeing myself in participants, the nature of student–researcher identities, and the question of where the field ends, concluding with guidance to PGRs.

Keywords

liminality, positionality, higher education; students, Ph.D., postgraduate researchers, reflexive autoethnography

Author Bio(s)

Melody Bishop is a final-year PGR in the Department of Sociology at Durham University, United Kingdom (October 2022-present). Their Ph.D. explores the experiences of UK students with long-term physical health conditions throughout transition to an elite collegiate university. They take a qualitative longitudinal research approach, using interviews and diary methods. Their research is funded through the Northern Ireland and North East Doctoral Training Partnership (NINE DTP) and supervised by Dr Kimberly Jamie and Professor Simon Forrest. Please direct correspondence to [email protected]

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to my supervisors for their ongoing support, to my student-participants for their longstanding involvement, and to the reviewers who gave their helpful comments on an earlier draft of this paper.

Publication Date

8-31-2026

Creative Commons License

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

Recommended APA Citation

Bishop, M. (2026). With students, as a student: Using reflexive autoethnography to make sense of navigating student–researcher liminality in a Ph.D. The Qualitative Report, 31(8), 6464-6479.

ORCID ID

0009-0001-5037-2406

ResearcherID

OBO-0766-2025