Jesus Delgadillo HEAL 224 Positionality Statement

I am a first generation American from Mexican decent. I am a straight, middle-working

class cismale. I identify as male with masculine and feminine gender traits. Growing up, Spanish

was the primary language I spoke. My parents know some English but are not too fluent in it. My

older sister who is four years older, was being exposed to English in school and started talking to

me in English. I began to read when I was four years old.

I have lived in rural out of the way pockets of the central valley. These were and are very

small country townships which have a majority minority population. These small areas have

been my playground, and classroom. My upbringing in these rural settings have influenced the

type of individual I am. It has also created my point of view.

In doing a self-reflection on which frameworks or theoretical concepts I associate myself

with, I concluded that I relate to several. I associate myself with the critical/cultural blended

paradigm which Guido et. al., (2010) illustrate by stating that Blended paradigms are often

established to transform social institutions and overturn traditional practices by providing

concrete evidence of multiple perspectives, realities and unmet needs. I feel that I can apply this

paradigm to my own worldview because I push back on the power inequities that I see in society

and have faced myself. I also use this blended paradigm because an individual’s culture also is so

tied to the way a person interacts with society at large, and how society interacts with us.

At the same time, I feel that I am constructivist in my approaches as well. Knowledge

within this paradigm is emergent, contextual, personal, socially constructed, and interactive.

Guido et. al., (2010) I feel that it is our lived experiences which provide us with knowledge and

an understanding on society. Constructivist paradigms are especially important to understanding

diverse multiple perspectives. I think you know what you know by experiences, making mistakes
and learning from them. Knowledge is fluid and flowing. We continue to learn as we grow. ,

Jones et. al., (2014) state, Obviously one’s worldview can be altered as one matures from life

experiences, but it also can house consistent values and concepts. It shapes one’s philosophical

grounding.

But for other views, I feel that I am a positivist. I think this way because these are the

Capital T truths which factual and science-based. I believe that there are things which are

undeniably known. For example, the Earth revolves around the sun, gravity will make objects

fall. In this sense, I feel I am also a bit of a positivist when it comes to the way I feel that things

are this way because science has proved it to be so.For some individuals, their capital T truth is

that Covid isn’t real. (It is). Since this is their belief, it makes it true to them. Lowercase t truth is

objective. It is our own perspectives on the environments surrounding us.

Part of my upbringing as a member of a marginalized ethnic group has tuned me in to the

general experiences that students from my background will face. Although my experiences are

centered at the context I experienced them, the setting will be similar within a collegiate

environment. Being in their shoes I can relate to what it feels like to be a first gen student, how it

was growing up in rural communities and being the first student in a family to continue to

college. I will feel empathetic towards their needs and obstacles that will be faced. I feel that my

identities inform the work I intend to engage in by providing that link to students. However, the

students I will be working with will have their own experiences to share in relation to their

college track.

I know in regards to research, coming from similar areas of residence and the same ethnic

group can provide me some insider information in relation to cultural ideals, but even though I

might share similarities I can’t presume to know their own life stories. Students will have their
unique experiences that make them who they are. Moving forward, any future research

conducted on my end will be influenced by my positionality of constructivism and will be more

qualitative in nature. I will want to see how the data gathered from research subjects has had an

impact on their lived experiences to show what are the capital T truths and lowercase t truths

experienced and acquired.

 References
Guido, F.M., Chavez, A.F., & Lincoln, Y.S. (2010). Underlying paradigms in student affairs
research and practice. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 47(1), 1-22.
Jones, S. R., Torres, V., & Arminio, J. (2013). Negotiating the complexities of qualitative
research in higher education: Fundational elements and issues. Routledge.