Positionality and Reflexivity

What is positionality in the context of community engagement?

• A person's role in their workplace

• The reflective process of understanding one's social position and identity

• The geographical position of the community

• The economic status of a community partner

Why is reflexivity important in community-engaged research?

• It helps improve the speed of research projects.

• It encourages researchers to apply pre-established research methods.

• It allows researchers to continuously reflect on how their identities influence their work.

• It ensures that researchers avoid interacting with community members.

What is a positionality statement?

• A formal acknowledgment of one's job title

• A description of one's social identities and how they relate to the work being done

• A legal document required in community research

• A contract between researchers and community members

What is the role of power in community-engaged research?

• Researchers must hold all decision-making power.

• Power dynamics should be ignored in favor of neutrality.

• Power imbalances between researchers and communities must be identified and addressed.

• Power is irrelevant to research methodologies.

How does positionality change over time?

• It remains static once it is identified.

• It changes as researchers gain new experiences and insights.

• It is fixed based on one's educational background.

• It changes only if the researcher moves geographically.

What is the concept of 'insider-outsider' in community research?

• It refers to researchers who work both inside and outside the community.

• It is the dynamic of being either part of or separate from the community one is studying.

• It refers to individuals who research communities in which they reside.

• It describes community members who participate in research but do not influence the outcomes.

Why is it important to address privilege in community-engaged research?

• To ensure that researchers have complete control over the project.

• To maintain neutrality in the research process.

• To confront power dynamics and make research more equitable.

• To avoid any discussion of social identity in the research.

What is the purpose of a reflexivity exercise in research?

• To finalize research findings.

• To compare research results with other studies.

• To reflect on how researchers' identities and assumptions shape their work.

• To conduct data analysis more efficiently.

How does the concept of intersectionality apply to positionality?

• It limits the scope of research to one social identity.

• It ignores the influence of race and gender on research.

• It acknowledges that multiple social identities intersect to shape experiences.

• It focuses only on economic factors in research.

What is the ultimate goal of reflexivity and positionality in community-engaged research?

• To establish the researcher as the authority.

• To avoid addressing sensitive topics like race and privilege.

• To create more equitable, power-balanced relationships between researchers and communities.

• To minimize community involvement in decision-making.