Insiders and outsiders in the research process Essay

Similarly, (Ganga and Scott, 2006) state that an insider research, concerns social interviews conducted between researchers and participants with cultural, linguistic, ethnic, national and religious heritage that are similar. While the outsider is a person/researcher who does not have any prior intimate knowledge of the group being researched (Mercer, 2007). These insider/outsider myths dichotomize researcher positionality, creating categories which are inadequate to capture the complex and multi-faceted experiences of some researchers  who find themselves neither total "insiders" nor "outsiders" in relation to the individuals they interview' (Song and Parker, 1995). However, the language of insider and outsider status is methodologically useful in explaining researchers' orientation to their site, subject, and/or participants. Reflecting on the ways in which we are outsiders in our research territory attunes us to the challenges we face gaining access, establishing rapport, and building trust and to the benefits we enjoy by virtue of our distance and unfamiliarity (Kauffman, 1994). Similarly, reflecting on the ways in which we are insiders in our research territory attunes us to the challenges we face as we work to actively question our familiarity and wrestle with our presumptions, while also illuminating the benefits we enjoy by virtue of our context specific connections, competence, and insights (Labaree, 2002 Taylor, 2011 Turgo, 2012). How researchers are positioned paradigmatically and philosophically should be critically given a thought by all researchers and for them to be mindful of how their positionality and the basic assumptions they hold might influence their research related thinking and practice. (Sikes, 2004). Both researchers and participants have an influence on the shape of the research (England, 1994). As such, the identities of both researcher and participants have the potential of impacting the research process. Identities come into play through our perceptions of others and others perception of us. Thus, our own biases have an impact on the shape of the research process that serves as checkpoints along the way. We presume to gain insights into how we might approach a research setting, members of particular groups, and how we might seek to engage with participants, through recognising our biases. It is acknowledged that people have multiple overlapping identities within positionality theory. Thus, people make sense from various aspects of their identity (Kezar, 2002). Data generated by a researcher who shares a common identity or experience with the research participants cannot be simply assumed to be richer or deeper based simply on that assumed commonality (Ryan & Golden, 2006). It is helpful to consider feminist research perspectives, when considering the positionality of researcher, and particularly standpoint theories of knowledge' which highlight the significance of social location and researchers identification (Fawcett & Hearn, 2004). Researchers' positionality can impact on all aspects and stages of the research process. The researchers positionality that is brought to their work, and the personal experiences through which positionality is formed, may have an influence on what researchers may bring to research encounters, their choice of processes, and the way they interpret outcomes (Foote and Bartell, 2011).