The case for reflexivity in quantitative survey research in leisure studies: lessons from surf research

ABSTRACT

Reflexivity has become a standard practice in qualitative research to improve the trustworthiness of the results and offer a critical perspective on the researcher’s role in the study. Qualitative researchers typically position themselves in their studies, acknowledging their identity, and the ways it may have influenced the study. I argue that reflexivity should be a part of quantitative survey research as well. The imperfect nature of social science, especially leisure research, makes purely positivist research difficult, despite the emphasis on this tradition and the outward appearance of ‘objectivity’ found in quantitative research in our field. Conducting quantitative survey research with surfers can be especially ‘messy,’ because they have long been thought to have their own antiestablishment, nonconformist culture. My pragmatist-grounded research with this user group provides compelling evidence for the importance of incorporating reflexivity into survey research. The paper concludes with recommendations for quantitative leisure researchers.

KEYWORDS:

• Reflexivity
• quantitative research
• pragmatism
• surfers
• surfing

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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Lindsay E. Usher

Lindsay E. Usher is an Associate Professor of Park, Recreation and Tourism Studies at Old Dominion University. Her research area focuses on communities in coastal tourism destinations, with an emphasis on surf culture and tourism, as well as resilience in the tourism industry.