From Reflection to Action: A Case Study of Positionality Tools in Evaluation Practice

This paper explores how structured reflection on positionality can enhance evaluation practice through increased rigor, relevance, and transparency. Positionality refers to how evaluators’ sociopolitical contexts, identities, and worldviews fundamentally shape their work. Using a case example, we demonstrate the application of two complementary tools: the Social Identity Map and the Coin Model of Privilege. These tools moved us beyond simply listing identities toward a deeper understanding of how our social locations influence our evaluation work. Through individual and collective reflection, we identified team gaps, reaffirmed the critical importance of centering people with lived and living experience, and expanded our analysis to examine existing literature more critically. We feel that reflection on positionality should be embraced as an ongoing, context-specific practice, which strengthens the quality of our evaluation work and its impact.