In Search of Subjectivity—One's Own

TLDR

Subjectivity is an invariable component of research, and merely acknowledging it is insufficient; researchers must strive for objectivity. The paper argues that researchers should systematically seek out their subjectivity during research, not retrospectively, to be aware of its influence on inquiry and outcomes. The author demonstrates this pursuit through year‑long fieldwork in a multiethnic high school.

Abstract

It is no more useful for researchers to acknowledge simply that subjectivity is an invariable component of their research than it is for them to assert that their ideal is to achieve objectivity. Acknowledgments and assertions are not sufficient. Beginning with the premise that subjectivity is inevitable, this paper argues that researchers should systematically seek out their subjectivity, not retrospectively when the data have been collected and the analysis is complete, but while their research is actively in progress. The purpose of doing so is to enable researchers to be aware of how their subjectivity may be shaping their inquiry and its outcomes. In this paper I demonstrate the pursuit of my subjectivity in the course of year-long fieldwork in a multiethnic high school.