From reflection diaries to practical guidance for transdisciplinary research: learnings from a Kenyan air pollution project

Transdisciplinary research (TDR) approaches have been cited as essential for overcoming the intractable sustainability challenges that the world is currently facing. However, these approaches can be difficult to implement and can therefore fail to add value to work in overcoming these challenges. To this end, the authors of this study used reflection diaries to record what they felt did and did not work in their research on air pollution in an informal settlement in Nairobi, in order to help guide future work.

Over the course of the research project, reflection diaries exploring experiences of participation were undertaken by the project team (comprising academic and community partners) at multiple time points. These reflection diaries played an important role in evaluation and for providing space for team learning.

Reflection diaries were structured in order to aid completion, and team members were asked to reflect as individuals on the following questions:

• The thing I am particularly enjoying at the moment is…
• The challenges I/we are facing at the moment are…
• We are trying to work in a “transdisciplinary” way i.e. participatory knowledge production that is characterized by the inclusion of both multiple disciplines and practice-based knowledge and expertise in the knowledge production process—how well do you think we are doing this?
• Something I learned from the project is…
• Something I am going to apply from this project to other areas of my work is…
• If I were doing the project again, I would do the following differently…

Analysis of these reflective diaries enabled the authors to undertake both a formative and summative evaluation of their project and the TDR approaches used. The anonymized diary entries were discussed in team meetings, which created space for open discussion, learning about challenges, and offered opportunities to improve the project as the research was ongoing.

For researchers interested in implementing such an approach in future TDR projects, the authors recommended developing an appropriate reflective diary collection mechanism (such as a Google form, as in this study), prompting teams to complete diaries regularly, analyzing diary entries as soon as possible after they are written to ensure timely actions are taken, and the collective discussion of anonymized entries to maximize team learning.