An Analysis of the Main Challenges and Obstacles Hindering Teachers’ Research in East Azarbaijan Province: A Phenomenological Study

The current research aimed at studying the major challenges and obstacles hindering research among the teachers of East Azarbaijan province, Iran. This study adopted a qualitative approach and applied the phenomenological method of analysis. Purposeful criterion sampling was used, and 20 teachers were selected as the study participants. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data, and thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. To assess the reliability of the findings, the four criteria of credibility, dependability, confirmability, and transferability were used. The findings led to the formation of 25 subcategories subsumed under the three main categories of thinking and knowledge (five subcategories), attitude and motivation (11 subcategories), and behavior and action (9 subcategories). Based on the findings, it can be stated that the above barriers hinder the successful implementation of “The Research-Centered Teacher Program” in education. Thus, to achieve the goals set for the aforementioned program, the above-mentioned challenges must be addressed.