This Bridge Feels Like a Tightrope: For Critical Scholars Who Engage in Policy Research

Abstract

There is a widespread belief among academic researchers and academic journal editors that policy audiences prefer positivist research, despite evidence that policy makers would prefer to see researchers engage more with case studies, historical analyses, and compelling voices. This belief inevitably shapes the culture of the educational policy research community and bleeds into the academic socialization of novice educational policy researchers. In this article, I use autoethnography to explore the methodological tensions I encountered as an untrained critical researcher participating in a postpositivist multicase research study that privileged large data sets, quantified qualitative findings, and entitled majority viewpoints. Through this exploration, I seek to advocate for deeper reflexivity and transparency among qualitative researchers who encounter moments of conflict and doubt in the research process. A list of recommendations for novice and seasoned educational policy researchers are provided.