For professional doctorate students, reflexivity is not an optional extra. It is central to becoming a researching professional: someone who can critically engage with their own assumptions, positionality, and practice while generating trustworthy research. Yet reflexivity is often easier said than done. How do we move beyond surface-level reflections and truly uncover the presuppositions shaping our research?

A growing body of work suggests that the presuppositional interview offers one promising answer. This approach provides philosophical grounding, methodological innovation, and practical guidance on how to illuminate assumptions and strengthen reflexive practice.

What is a presuppositional interview?

At its core, a presuppositional interview is a structured conversation in which the researcher becomes the interviewee, asked to articulate their assumptions, beliefs, and values in relation to their research. These presuppositions might be known, half-known, or tacitly held. By surfacing them, the researcher gains clarity about how they are influencing the research process.

Unlike keeping a reflective diary, which risks circling familiar ground, the presuppositional interview involves dialogue with another person. This creates space for deeper questioning, gentle challenge, and fresh insight. Some scholars describe this process as a clearing in the wood: a way of finding light through the dense forest of assumptions.

Reflexivity in Grounded Theory and beyond

Presuppositional interviews can be especially valuable in grounded theory research, where the researcher is recognised as an active participant in knowledge generation. Reflexivity is essential here, yet hidden assumptions are often difficult to detect.

The interview helps make these tacit influences visible. Doctoral researchers who use the approach often uncover unspoken assumptions about their roles and professional identities, which in turn shape their approach to coding, analysis, and theory building.

Importantly, presuppositional interviews are not limited to grounded theory. They can be applied across qualitative traditions wherever reflexivity is needed.

The role of the interviewer: reflexive advocacy

The interviewer plays a crucial role in presuppositional interviews. Rather than acting as a supervisor or co-researcher, they act as a reflexive advocate. Their task is to create a safe and generative space where the researcher can explore their thinking without fear of judgement.

This requires attentive listening, open-ended questioning, and curiosity about what is not being said. The interviewer does not analyse or use the data, which remains entirely the property of the researcher. Instead, their role is to prompt deeper self-awareness.

In this sense, presuppositional interviewing becomes an act of academic generosity: one scholar offering time and care to enable another’s growth.

Why it matters for professional doctorates

For professional doctorate students, who often research from within their own workplaces or professions, reflexivity is particularly pressing. The boundary between professional knowing and scholarly knowing is blurred. Presuppositional interviews provide a structured way to examine how personal values, professional commitments, and institutional roles shape the research journey.

They can help practitioners confront assumptions about their fields, navigate insider-researcher positionality, and strengthen their reflexive practice. In doing so, they support students not only in producing rigorous research but also in developing as self-aware, ethically grounded scholar-practitioners.

Practical considerations

Several practical tips emerge for those considering presuppositional interviews:

• Choose the right interviewer: ideally someone outside the supervisory team, to reduce power dynamics and ensure safety.
• Set clear boundaries: the interview is not data for the interviewer but belongs wholly to the researcher.
• Expect discomfort: surfacing tacit assumptions can feel unsettling, but it is often where the richest insights lie.
• Integrate into the process: use transcripts and notes from the interview as touchstones for ongoing reflexivity.
• Repeat if necessary: presuppositional interviews can be used at multiple points in the research journey.

Final reflections

The presuppositional interview is not a replacement for other reflexive practices such as journaling or supervision. But it can be a powerful way of making the unknown known, illuminating hidden assumptions, and strengthening transparency.

For professional doctorate students and early career researchers, it provides both a method and a mindset: curiosity about oneself as researcher, and a willingness to engage in dialogue that challenges and deepens self-understanding.

In short, presuppositional interviewing is less about neat answers and more about cultivating the habit of reflexive questioning. And that, perhaps, is at the heart of becoming a researching professional.

Further reading

• Barrett-Rodger, L., Goldspink, S., & Engward, H. (2022). Being in the wood: Using a presuppositional interview in hermeneutic phenomenological research. Qualitative Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/14687941211061055
• van Veggel, N., Allison, J., Goldspink, S., & Engward, H. (2023). The presuppositional interview as a means of transparent reflexive practice in grounded theory. Methodological Innovations. https://doi.org/10.1177/20597991231212236
• Goldspink, S., van Veggel, N., & Engward, H. (2024). Reflexive advocacy: The role of the interviewer in presuppositional interviews in qualitative research. Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice, 12(1), 92–99.