Which practice increases trustworthiness by acknowledging researcher bias?

Which practice increases trustworthiness by acknowledging researcher bias?

• A. Triangulation
• B. Reflexivity
• C. Audit trail
• D. Member checking

Answer: (B)

Reflexivity is the practice of openly examining how a researcher’s own background, assumptions, and potential biases may influence every step of a study—from design and data collection to interpretation. By acknowledging these influences and documenting how they might shape the data and conclusions, the researcher provides transparency that readers can use to assess credibility and trustworthiness. This reflective stance helps ensure that interpretations are grounded in the data rather than unexamined preconceptions, often through reflective journals, memos, or explicit discussion of how bias could have affected coding and analysis. Triangulation strengthens findings by bringing in multiple data sources or methods to corroborate results, which broadens the evidence base but isn’t specifically about acknowledging the researcher’s own biases. An audit trail records the process and decisions to support dependability and confirmability, increasing transparency of methods rather than focusing on bias disclosure. Member checking gives participants a chance to validate findings, enhancing credibility from the participant’s perspective rather than foregrounding the researcher’s biases.

Reflexivity is the practice of openly examining how a researcher’s own background, assumptions, and potential biases may influence every step of a study—from design and data collection to interpretation. By acknowledging these influences and documenting how they might shape the data and conclusions, the researcher provides transparency that readers can use to assess credibility and trustworthiness. This reflective stance helps ensure that interpretations are grounded in the data rather than unexamined preconceptions, often through reflective journals, memos, or explicit discussion of how bias could have affected coding and analysis.

Triangulation strengthens findings by bringing in multiple data sources or methods to corroborate results, which broadens the evidence base but isn’t specifically about acknowledging the researcher’s own biases. An audit trail records the process and decisions to support dependability and confirmability, increasing transparency of methods rather than focusing on bias disclosure. Member checking gives participants a chance to validate findings, enhancing credibility from the participant’s perspective rather than foregrounding the researcher’s biases.