Psychology Week 3 Assignment: Ethical Principles and Standards in Research and Publication

Cultural Identity and Biases as a Future Scholar-Practitioner

Gabrielle McNeely

Strayer University

RSCH 7020

Dr. Renee Roman

July 19, 2026

Cultural Identity and Biases as a Future Scholar-Practitioner

Importance of Cultural Identity

Everyone has a unique culture which affects their perception of their environment,

interaction and decision-making. Cultural identity goes beyond race, ethnicity, gender and

nationality to professional experiences, education received/socio-economic concerns, values,

beliefs, family influences, and life experiences. The importance of being culturally

knowledgeable increases with the pursuit of doctoral studies and the subsequent preparation of

scholar-practitioners as research demands objectivity, ethical considerations and respect for

differing views(Petri et al., 2025). The scholar-practitioner approach to solving a complex

problem involves combining academic research with a hands-on approach to social and/or

organizational change. Thus, researchers need to be constantly self-reflecting on and aware of

how their own identity, assumptions and biases affect the entire research process.

My professional journey in HR in local government, Higher Education, Healthcare, and

the private sector have all had a strong influence on my cultural identity as a practitioner. These

experiences have introduced me to a variety of people with varying cultural, educational,

socioeconomic and career backgrounds. My experience in a HR role has reinforced my desire to

be fair, ethical, evidence based and confidential in my professional decisions. However, it has

also taught me that no individual approaches situations from a completely neutral perspective.

Perceptions, interpretation, and judgment are always tainted by personal experience(Malik et al.,

2022). As I am moving toward become a scholar-practitioner, it is important for me to assess my

cultural identity and understand possible biases.

Cultural Identity and Biases in Research

Having an understanding of cultural identity is an important prerequisite to doing ethical

and well-informed research. Cultural identity affects researchers' problem definitions, research

questions, methodologies, interpretation, and reporting of their findings. Prior experiences,

values, beliefs, and assumptions are brought into the research process by every

researcher(McDonald et al., 2025). These views may be helpful for gaining insight, but can also

bring unintended bias if not investigated.

Having worked in the HR department my career has had a strong impact on my cultural

identity. During my career I have been able to assist in the areas of recruitment, employee

relations, benefits administration, leave management, policy interpretation, organizational

development and performance management. Balancing the needs and objectives of the

organization with employee rights, whilst remaining fair, professional and compliant to

employment laws has been one of the responsibilities. I have also met people from various

industries who have different cultural backgrounds, ages, education levels, social and economic

backgrounds and work experiences.

These values will have an impact on my future research interests. I am particularly

interested in studying workplace behavior, employee well-being, leadership effectiveness,

diversity and inclusion, organizational culture, and human resource practices. These are areas of

interest that I have gained knowledge through my work experiences and could use to develop

investigative ideas that have significance in the real world. Having regard for Creswell and

Creswell (2018), reflexivity is an important aspect of qualitative research and mixed

methodology research in which the researcher is developing research questions based on their

personal experience and professional observation.

Impact of Personal Bias on Research

Bias can be a huge issue if not kept under control in the study process. Bias is the

assumption, prejudice or opinion of the information that is gathered, interpreted, analyzed or

presented. Bias can be intentional or unintentional and can be applied to all parts of the research

process. Bias can arise in several ways, one of which is confirmation bias, where researchers

actively look for evidence to confirm their predispositions and ignore evidence that may

contradict those predispositions(Popovic & Huecker, 2023). As a HR business expert, I might

unconsciously show favor to evidence-based analyses of employee-centered approaches because

these methods have tended to yield positive workplace effects throughout my career. However,

ethical scholarship requires that we take into account all the evidence, even if it challenges our

beliefs.

Selection bias can also be an issue. Researchers should not make assumptions and may

inadvertently recruit participants whose experience matches their own. I have been working

mostly in organized organizational settings and therefore need to be aware of the fact that

individuals from other industries, different organizational cultures, and geographic regions may

have vastly different experiences. The diversity in participant selection contributes to the validity

of research and an increased transferability of the results.

Another significant issue is interpretive bias. All researchers inevitably interpret data in

their own cultural frame of reference. When analysing employee interviews, for instance, I might

focus more on organizational policy issues due to my background in HR while investing less in

psychological safety, cultural identity or interpersonal relationships. Being open to other

interpretations not only improves the credibility but also improves the trustworthiness.

The design of the research can also be biased. Some times, researchers employ a

methodology that is suited to the desired results. If methodological rigor is to be maintained, then

appropriate methods of research must be chosen that would adequately answer the research

question and not just methods that would support the researcher's beliefs. Using valid assessment

tools, clear data analysis processes, peer review, triangulation, etc., can alleviate the potential

impact of bias and increase the credibility of research.

Ethical research also involves being aware of power relations between researcher and

respondents. HR professionals may hold authority positions, and may inadvertently influence

interactions with research participants. As a future scholar-practitioner, I need to design settings

that enable people to be respected, valued, and secure to express their viewpoints without fear of

judgment. This is a commitment that is consistent with the ethical concepts of respect for

persons, beneficence, and justice.

Self-Reflection Strategies for Evaluating Cultural Identity and Biases

Importance of Self-Reflection

Self-reflection is a critical process for the examination of one's cultural identity and

personal biases because it allows the researcher to critically examine how their cultural beliefs,

values, experiences, and assumptions affect their thinking and decision making. Perspectives are

formed by each person's family upbringing, education, experiences at work, contacts with people

and experiences from culture. These experiences influence people's interpretation and

interactions with information. Self-reflection is an especially critical aspect of a

scholar-practitioner's research because research demands that the scholar be objective, act with

ethical considerations, and respect differing viewpoints. A continuous self-reflection helps

researchers be more aware of the influence of their own culture on the research process and to

make conscious efforts to reduce the influence of their own assumptions in the research process.

Self-reflection also fosters cultural humility by helping the researchers to realize that they

do not fully experience others' lives and worldviews. Reflective researchers do not take for

granted that their view is universal; they are open to what participants are bringing and to other

means of interpretation of the information. This openness is better for the quality of research as

the experiences of participants are not filtered through the researcher's own perceptions. Finally,

self-reflection enhances the credibility of the research work through greater transparency, the

mitigation of blind spots and the promotion of ethical and inclusive scholarship.

Strategies to Address Research Bias

Personal bias cannot be avoided entirely, but can be reduced at various stages of the

research process. Reflexive journaling, journaling one's own reflections, assumptions, and

emotions, and methodological choices throughout the study process, represents one of the best

methods. A reflexive journal usefully enables researchers to identify patterns in their thinking

and assess if personal beliefs are impacting on data collection or interpretation. An on-going

process that enhances awareness and transparency of research.

A second useful approach is peer review and consultation with mentors and/or

colleagues. Opinion solicitation from people with a variety of backgrounds, knowledge, and

professional experience offers insight that the researcher might not have gained on his or her

own. External reviewers can detect potential biases, challenge underlying assumptions, and

propose other ways to interpret the results. The collaborative process contributes to the

trustworthiness and credibility of the research, and minimizes the impact of personal viewpoints.

Another way to minimize the biases is for researchers to study a variety of scholarly

works prior to and during the research. A search of different theory and empirical studies

prevents the researcher from taking personal experiences or preferred ways of thinking for

granted. The decisions are based on evidence instead, so that conclusions are based on the "sum

of the whatever" instead of only on individual suppositions. For scholar-practitioners looking to

combine the rigours of academic research with the practicalities of the job, this evidence-based

approach is all the more crucial.

Another useful tool is triangulation which is a process of employing more than one data

source, research method, or investigator to study the same research question. The findings from

interviews, surveys, observations and document analysis can be compared to ensure reliability of

results and minimize the risk of conclusions being skewed from a single source and/or

researcher. Likewise, member checking improves the validity of the research by enabling the

participants to examine and validate the researcher's understanding of their responses(Noble &

Smith, 2025). The process will allow participants' experiences to be captured in an accurate

manner, and limit interpretive bias.

Interactions with a variety of scholarly materials and ethical considerations that help to

avoid bias and ensure that research is objective, inclusive, and meaningful. The following are

strategies that I will utilize to ensure that my research contributes to a body of evidence that will

be credible, beneficial to organizations, employees, and society, and will maintain the highest

standards of scholarly integrity.

Conclusion

The assessment of identity and one's own cultural or personal biases is a crucial task of

all future scholar-practitioners. Researchers view problems, questions, interpretation of evidence

and communication of findings through cultural identity. Prior experience in HRM has instated

values of fairness, ethical decision making, collaboration, confidentiality and evidence-based

practice. Such experiences give me insight into organizational behavior and effectiveness, and

make me realize that personal experiences invariably influence the point of view for research.

It is healthy to be conscious of possible biases, rather than a weakness, a hallmark of

responsible scholarship. Unchecked confirmation bias, selection bias, interpretive bias and

methodological preferences can all affect the quality of research. I can reflect deliberately,

engage in reflexive journaling, seek feedback from peers, read various scholarly texts,

demonstrate cultural humility, triangulate, member check and follow ethical research practices to

minimize these influences and maximize the credibility of my research.

As I embark on my doctoral studies, I strive to conduct my research with

open-mindedness, modesty, and a spirit of inquiry. As I reflect on my cultural identity and

embrace different viewpoints on a regular basis, I will be able to make meaningful, inclusive,

evidence-based research contributions to organizations, employees and society. Finally, it takes

more than methodology expertise to be a scholar practitioner, it also takes a willingness to

engage in continual self-reflection and ethical practice that will foster fairness, respect and

positive change.

References

Malik, M., Mahmood, F., Sarwar, N., Obaid, A., Memon, M. A., & Khaskheli, A. (2022). Ethical

leadership: Exploring bottom-line mentality and trust perceptions of employees on

middle-level managers. Current Psychology, 42(20). Springer.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-02925-2

McDonald, C. E., Granger, C. L., & Remedios, L. J. (2025). Planning and conducting

cross-cultural qualitative research: A methodological framework and resources for health

researchers. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-Being,

20(1), 2556350. https://doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2025.2556350

Noble, H., & Smith, J. (2025). Ensuring validity and reliability in qualitative research. Evidence

Based Nursing, 0(0), ebnurs–2024-104232. https://doi.org/10.1136/ebnurs-2024-104232

Petri, D., Margreet Luinge, Veen, K. van, Annelies Kassenberg, & Denessen, E. (2025). Cultural

knowledge of students for primary school teachers: A scoping review [Review of

Cultural knowledge of students for primary school teachers: A scoping review]. Learning

Culture and Social Interaction, 54, 100926–100926.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lcsi.2025.100926

Popovic, A., & Huecker, M. R. (2023, June 20). Study Bias. PubMed; StatPearls Publishing.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK574513/