Research within a field that involves a lot of reflection and self-awareness on the part of participants, it is also necessary for the researcher to consider for themselves their position linguistically and culturally. My research also is greatly shaped by the interaction and relationship between participant with the researcher. At the beginning of my research, I decided to introduce myself to my participants with my personal story of living around the world that ultimately has sparked my interest in understanding the learning of multilingual students. I felt that my story would assist my participants to better understand my motivations for this research and perhaps they would be more inclined to share their own stories considering that I have had an experience that is not completely removed from their own.
As discussed throughout my methodology chapter, interviewing and gathering narratives is heavily influenced by the relationship between the participant and researcher. People are likely to share information according to the audience that is present and choose to reveal particular aspects of their identity.
I was responsible for the gathering and analysis of the data so it was crucial for me to acknowledge and reflect on my own interpretations and perspectives. Being reflexive as a researcher is important to ensure data gathering and analysis is not considered devoid of the presence of the researcher themselves.
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