2.5: Positionality and Research

Positionality is how you, your background, and your experiences relate to your research. Your identity, background, and biases all impact each step of the research process -from selecting a topic to evaluating resources, to discussing your sources (Creswell & Creswell, 2017; James & Vinnicombe, 2002; Maxwell, 2013). The positionality of authors of the studies you read also impacts their research (ACRL, 2016).

Research is, therefore, holistic, involving your entire self, and interacts across time and space with others in a collaborative way.

Let's pause so you have time to reflect on yourself as a researcher.

Activity: Who is a researcher? \(\PageIndex{1}\)

Now review your drawing again. Did you draw a representation of a person? Is that person you? When you think about a researcher, do you imagine yourself? You’re about to embark on writing a literature review, so you are a researcher!

Do you see yourself as a researcher? What attributes do researchers have?

 

When I first did this activity during Droog's conference presentation, I had not yet published. At that time, my experience of research came only from literature reviews and guiding students to find sources. My drawing represented my students' emotions, not my own. At that time, I did not at all think of myself as a researcher.

Activity: Identity \(\PageIndex{1}\)

In your drawing, do you see any aspects of your worldview or identity reflected? How might that impact how you see research?

 

It is critical that we understand our positionality & how it impacts our research.

• If we don't see ourselves as researchers, we create two problems:
  • We might be biased towards accepting studies only by authors who fit a mental description of what a researcher is to us.
  • We might create cognitive roadblocks to feeling confident that we can successfully learn to navigate each step.
• Our positionality impacts which topics we choose to study, which influences the field.
• Who is heard & who feels silenced influences what is studied and the quality of care for marginalized groups of people (Milner 2007).

Activity: Positionality \(\PageIndex{1}\)

What identities do you hold? How might those impact your research? I’ll come back to this throughout the workbook.

 

Reflecting on my own drawing later, I realized it showed me how my worldview impacts my view of research. At the time of Droog's conference presentation, I had drawn a linear line, representing an emotional journey with highs and lows. However, research like life, is not linear, but circuitous and iterative. My instinct to depict research in this straightforward way came partly from my limited drawing skills, but also from a Western perspective. I had already been telling students in classes that research is not linear, but my drawing helped me realize how deeply rooted my expectations of linearity were. My cultural framework was not wrong, but it helped me consider how my positionality impacts my conception of research, which would therefore impact my ability to teach students whose experiences would be different from mine.

Understanding your positionality helps you see how your identity and experiences shape your approach to research. The next step is to reflect on your motivations - what drives you to engage with your research and complete the project.