Centering Voices, Challenging Bias: Evaluating the Effects of Reflexivity Training on Interviewing Practices

This session explores how reflexivity training improves researchers’ ability to conduct culturally responsive interviews, fostering more profound engagement with culturally and linguistically diverse participants. Drawing on experiences from our professional development, we demonstrate how awareness of researcher positionality influences rapport-building, question-framing, and data interpretation. By analyzing participants’ post-training reflections and session feedback, we highlight shifts in interviewing techniques that promote inclusivity and reduce bias. The session will include an interactive exercise, enabling attendees to assess their interviewing techniques and strengthen cultural responsiveness in qualitative interviewing. Attendees will leave with practical tools to integrate reflexivity into their research practice to encourage equitable engagement with study participants in their work. This presentation is relevant for evaluators, qualitative researchers, and educators seeking to enhance the quality of their evaluation through intentional self-reflection and methodological refinement.