Exploring Cambodian teacher educators' perspectives and challenges in conducting action research

Da Bou, Louth Sran and Phian Phorn
Battambang Teacher Education College, Cambodia

Research competencies are vital for teacher educators at Battambang Teacher Education College (BTEC) to improve their efficacy and professional development. Since 2017, BTEC has instituted supplementary training centred on action research. Nonetheless, numerous instructors continue to grapple with their research acumen and competencies. This study investigated BTEC teacher educators' attitudes, challenges, and obstacles in executing action research. A survey was conducted with 48 randomly chosen educators, gathering quantitative and qualitative data. The findings indicated that although educators recognise the advantages of action research in enhancing their pedagogical techniques and research skills, they face considerable obstacles. These include an absence of a research-oriented culture, insufficient skills, excessive workloads, and constrained financial resources. However, by prioritising continual training, BTEC can reassure educators about the continuous improvement in their research skills, thereby enhancing oversight in action research and yielding superior results for student teachers.
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Authors: Da Bou (corresponding author) is a teacher educator in the Department of Educational Research and Library at Battambang Teacher Education College, Cambodia. He is pursuing his doctoral degree in the Educational Management Program at the National University of Battambang, Cambodia. His publications include educational management, leadership, action research, and teacher education. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-8971-9923 Email: da.bou@btec.edu.kh Louth Sran is a teacher educator at Battambang Teacher Education College (BTEC) in Cambodia. He holds a masters degree in TESOL, and he is pursuing a masters degree in Humanities and Social Sciences at Hiroshima University in Japan. His publications focus on teacher education and the integration of education information technology. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-1343-2695 Email: sran.louth@btec.edu.kh Phian Phorn is a teacher educator in the Department of Linguistics at Battambang Teacher Education College, Cambodia. He is currently pursuing his doctoral degree in the Educational Management Program at the National University of Battambang, Cambodia. His publications include educational management and teacher education. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-2725-2191 Email: phornphian@btec.edu.kh Please cite as: Bou, D., Sran, L. & Phorn, P. (2025). Exploring Cambodian teacher educators' perspectives and challenges in conducting action research. Issues in Educational Research, 35(3), 905-922. http://www.iier.org.au/iier35/bou.pdf