Reconceptualising researcher positionality: a dialogical approach to reflexivity

This paper makes an original conceptual and methodological contribution to qualitative research. It does so by reconceptualising researcher positionality through Dialogical Self Theory (DST), foregrounding professional identity as a distinct yet internally dynamic dimension of positionality. Rooted in the premise that the self comprises a multiplicity of ‘I-positions’ in ongoing dialogue, DST offers a nuanced lens for exploring how researchers negotiate shifting boundaries of self in research contexts, moving beyond the limiting insider–outsider dichotomy. Grounded in reflexive work from a Professional Doctorate of Education (EdD), the paper positions professional identity not as background context but as a central site through which positionality is expressed, shaped by institutional expectations, disciplinary affiliations and personal motivations. Rather than treating positionality as a static declaration, this paper reconceptualises it as an ongoing, dialogical and methodologically engaged practice. It demonstrates how DST makes visible the tensions and negotiations shaping a researcher’s sense of self through their I-positions, while highlighting the limitations of descriptive reflexive accounts. The paper introduces the ‘dialogical phoropter’ as an analytic device to operationalise DST, enabling researchers to examine how positionality is actively calibrated in practice. Ultimately, positionality is reframed not as something researchers state, but as something they continuously practise.