Challenges Facing Counselor Researchers
As we begin to reflect on the process of developing an action research project proposal, it is important to consider the challenges that counselors face as researchers. Recall back to Week 1 where the negative aspects of action research were discussed. These were:
1.	Intimate knowledge of the students - While this was listed as a positive, it is also a negative, as knowing the nuances of each individual student and their needs can lead to researcher bias (both conscious and unconscious) and assumptions.
2.	Difficult to be objective in teacher research - Following on from the above point, being a participant in the research opens up the possibility of the teacher changing practices in action, rather than pausing and waiting for research results to inform change.
3.	Separating the science from the role as a teacher - Being a participant in the research makes it very difficult for the researcher to be an objective analyst of the data. It is difficult to use separate lens in the different contexts: teacher lens while teaching, and researcher lens when analyzing data.
4.	Limited timespan - Unlike other research approaches and designs where the research project can span several months to years; action research typically occurs within a limited timespan such as six to eight weeks. This limited timeframe is often decided upon to ensure the study fits within a school term quarter, so that findings can be used to improve practices in a timely manner.
 Yet beyond the limitations of the interactions between the teacher, their role as researcher and the students themselves, there are further challenges teacher researchers face such as:
1.	Lack of resources - The sheer lack of physical classroom resources to conduct the research. Thinking outside the box on how you can get the resources you need to make this happen – borrow from others, seek out grants, ask for donations, etc.
2.	Lack of support of colleagues and administration – Some of your colleagues may find your interest in researching your own practices to improve your own practices and learning outcomes for students, confronting and threatening. The fear of change is real for a lot of people and this comes from the lack of control in determining the outcome. In circumstances like these, it is important to find others that share your interest in research and learning further. Join a professional learning community! Find other teacher researchers. Start a teacher research group to connect with others.
3.	Reluctance to admit difficult truths – Researching your own practices can lead to unexpected findings, both positive and negative. It can sometimes reveal difficult truths and this is difficult to admit. As the researcher, you need to ensure you take your teacher hat off while you are analysing your data, so you can see those difficult truths, and use them as critical feedback to inform your practices moving forward. Afterall, this is the purpose of the action research.
4.	District / School ethics boards – In addition to the IRB approval which is required when you are conducting research when you are associated with a university, you may also be required to get approval from your district/school ethics boards. At the very least, you should get approval for your research project from your school administrator. This can be difficult if it is a topic or an approach which they are not supportive of. In these situations, it is helpful to frame your study to address the district / school priorities so that administrators will be able to explicitly see the connections between the study and the direction which they wish to move the district/school.
5.	Time – It is well acknowledged in the field of education that teacher workloads are already stretched (Raddatz, 2020;  Stanley, 2014; Turner, Johnson, Calvert, & Chaloupka, 2017) and having the time to analyze data through a researcher lens rather than a teacher lens takes time. As teacher researchers we must be committed to carving out time in our schedules to undertake this important work.


Challenges in Research

Acknowledging that multiple factors are occurring simultaneously and impacting their health, life quality, and identity. Transforming empirical research and promoting more accurate data and a better reflection on society.

Syracuse University

With much of research focusing on only the characteristics of either sex or gender, it neglects how gender and sex occur simultaneously and are different aspects of a person's social identity. This in return impacts their health.

Intersectionality of Sex and Gender in Women and Men's Health 

 Hankivsky, O. (2012). Women’s Health, men’s health, and Gender and Health: Implications of Intersectionality. Social Science &amp; Medicine, 74(11), 1712–1720. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.11.029 


Intersectionality Shift

Focusing on only one characteristic exclusively impacts the way people identify, research, and overlooks how gender and sex are shaped by one another.

Learn Before

Related

Learn After