Reflexive Researcher by

2026-05-21 06:58:19 UTC

Yes, there may be problems related to power hierarchies in research relationships. For example, my research will conduct in Bangladesh, where there is a lot of support from JICA and Japan, participants may feel pressure to show only positive aspects of Japan or Japanese-supported projects. This can affect the honesty and balance of the research data.
As a student researcher from a Northern university, I would try to address these issues by clearly explaining that my research is not intended to evaluate schools or teachers, but to understand the real situation of schools and children. I would also ensure the anonymity of participants’ personal opinions and ideas so that they can speak honestly and comfortably.

2026-05-21 06:58:48 UTC

As I will study about my own country, I think the problem with power hierarchies may not present in my case. Probably what I have learned might influence the way I think of the research problem and interprete them, make research distance from the local problems.
To address the issue, I should be more aware of the local situation and needs.

2026-05-21 06:59:28 UTC

Scenario: A device is designed and one of its claimed features is to be validated.

1. Underlying Hierarchy: Lack of experimental methods to validate the intended aspect of research outcome due to limitation of existing technology.

2. Solution: Validation of alternative aspect of the outcome and theoretically elaborate to intended aspect

Response

2026-05-21 06:59:54 UTC

I am not sure it could be applicable since my research is using mostly document analysis and unobstrusive participant observation.

m251617 — 2026-05-21 07:00:27 UTC

1. Personally, the biggest problem I see is that fear of the system silences the teachers.

In Myanmar, school principals and official policies have all the power. Even if a teacher secretly wants to support LGBT students, they are too afraid to do it because they could lose their job. This makes my research hard because teachers might not tell me their true opinions—they might just say whatever keeps them safe from the bosses.

2.For me, the best thing I can do as a student at a foreign university is to stop relying only on Western ideas.

It does not make sense to use frameworks made in the West to explain the real situations of teachers in Myanmar. Instead, I want to actively look for, read, and cite research written by Myanmar and local Southeast Asian scholars. They understand the culture and the school system much better than anyone in the West, and their voices are the ones that should guide my study.

my opinion

ikusti0618 — 2026-05-21 07:00:36 UTC

I believe such problems exist.
I will conduct research on street children in India. There are clear economic, cultural, and institutional inequalities between myself and the children. In addition, since I will likely collaborate with organizations that operate shelters for street children, differences between shelter users and administrators may also emerge.
Although I cannot completely change these structural differences, I believe it is possible to build rapport by accepting and engaging with their culture, such as their language and everyday practices. Above all, it is necessary not to assume that they will trust me immediately, but instead to build relationships gradually over time through continued interaction.

2026-05-21 07:00:51 UTC

1In my research, I would like to investigate children’s preconceptions that arise from their everyday life experiences rather than from school knowledge. However, if a foreign researcher conducts the study in a school setting, I think the children may try to give answers that they believe are ‘correct.’

2“I feel that letting participants know what kind of research is being conducted and for what purpose can help prevent misunderstandings or mismatches.

However, once participants know the researcher’s purpose, there is also the possibility that additional thoughts such as ‘I should respond in a way that matches the researcher’s expectations’ may become noise in the data.

I think the methods need to be adjusted depending on the purpose and content of the research.

In my case, I do not want participants to provide what is considered the ‘school-correct’ answer. So, I am considering explaining this clearly during the research briefing, telling them that the study is unrelated to tests or grades, and including questions for which the expected answer is not obvious. However, I am still thinking about the best approach.”

Final activity

2026-05-21 07:00:55 UTC

I wiil research about Comparative Study of Linguistic Scaffolding in Japan and Malaysia. then, I have to take care some problem. the first one is associated with power hierarchies defined as structured inequalities. as a researcher, I inevitably occupy the role of the knowledge producer which grants me the authority to speak on behalf of the teachers. Secondly, in the context of my comparative study between Japan and Malaysia, there is a risk taht I enforce Japanese context to Malaysia side in the interviews. So, when I make quationnaier, I need to understand the backgroud of Malaysia. This is why, to address these issues, I will adopt a reflexive approach, which involves critically examining and acknowledging my own role, biases, and assumptions throughout the research process.

2026-05-21 07:01:34 UTC

Based on my position as an educational inspector, the teachers might feel pressured to be my participants. I need to ask approval from the Ministry and school principals for data collection.
To deal with this i have to ask the participants’ consent and explain them clearly about the purpose of my research. I apply for research ethics and approval based on the relevant hierarchy.

Do you see a problem associated with power hierarchies in your research relationships? Why?

ananyaafnan — 2026-05-21 07:01:36 UTC

I want to research with the marginalised children with Bangladesh. Most children from this backhround always ended up as the low income working class individuals. Even, when they are in their youth (not working yet), they are facing some harsh comments or behaviour from the privileged group. As a children or an adult, I always belonged to the privileged group (according to the Bangladeshi context). There will be some awkwardness between I and them if I approach them for questionnaires.

2026-05-21 07:01:50 UTC

1.yes , power hierarchies present significant challenges in research relationships, particularly when conducting qualitative or fieldwork-based research. When examining these relationships through analytical lenses.

2.Addressing these power imbalances requires shifting from an extractive approach to a collaborative, reflexive one.

Reflexive Researcher

vietanhid — 2026-05-21 07:02:03 UTC

1. Do you see a problem associated with power hierarchies in your research relationships? Why?

Yes. Researchers often have more power because they control the questions, data selection and interpretention of results.

2. Address some of these issues:

- Practice relexivity about my own position and biases

- Respect participants' voices and culture

- Be transparent and collaborate, think about communities' benefit

Mitigating Power Hierarchies in Research

2026-05-21 07:02:27 UTC

Power differences during research may come from various perspectives, from one's socio-economic conditions to how participants value their surroundings, the way that participants define their relationships with the researcher can be very influential. In my case, interviewing a teacher/school instructor as a student researcher may bring up the issue where the instructor has biased opinions, believing that whatever a student tries to do cannot help with what is happening in the real world, hence putting less effort into the research and potentially making the results ambiguous. To address this issue, the researcher should think from the instructor's perspective and think critically about how the research should be rolled out.

QnA

2026-05-21 07:04:05 UTC

1. It is certain I will meet the problem associated with power hierarchies since I'm doing a political research. Like the silience marginalized voices from local people calling for resource equity and autonomy while it is easy to be neglected by both the local governance and even the researcher.

I will keep on collaborating with local researchers and community members to hear their voices, and never forget my own biases and northern assumptions while doing the research and try to avoid such hierarchies.