Reflexivity and Positionality in TESOL Research
Published online on May 07, 2026
Abstract
["TESOL Quarterly, EarlyView. ", "\nAbstract\nThis paper explores reflexivity and positionality as central methodological components of TESOL research. Drawing on scholarship in TESOL Quarterly, the article reviews how these concepts have been theorized and examines two published studies to illustrate their enactment in research practice. The discussion highlights reflexivity as an ongoing process of critical self‐awareness and positionality as analytical engagement with the researcher's identities and sociopolitical, cultural, and ideological positioning(s). The paper also proposes a set of guiding questions to support researchers throughout the trajectory of the empirical process. Finally, the article argues that reflexivity and positionality are not limited to qualitative inquiry, but are equally relevant to quantitative and mixed methods TESOL research, with important implications for a more integrated, transparent, and human‐centered research culture.\n"]