And if the learning experiences are consistent with the challenging nature of action research, then those experiences make some individuals quite uncomfortable. I am relatively new to teaching a course on action research, just completing my second try. This may have made me less sensitive than I needed to be to the reactions of those who signed up for my second try. For example, if we are discussing a paper that suggests a particular approach to teachers' professional development, then I try to teach in ways that also express that approach. This sounds simple enough, on the surface.
Some people have very definite expectations for the role assumed by any teacher.
These all strike me as values consistent with action research, where one is directly concerned about the quality of learning experiences and where one must be open to unexpected messages about the impact of one's teaching. If action research does not challenge one's assumptions and expectations about the nature of teaching and learning, then I would argue it has failed in some fundamental way. Nevertheless, a teacher has a responsibility to each and every member of a course. When some respond with interest and enthusiasm for the ways in which assumptions about teaching and learning are being challenged and explored, while others respond with disappointment and dismay that existing assumptions about teaching and learning are not being fulfilled, the end result can be chaotic and frustrating. Action Research may be hazardous to your assumptions and expectations about the roles of teacher and learner.