Teachers’ conceptions of teacher-research and self-perceptions as enquiring practitioners—A longitudinal case study

• Published in: Teaching and teacher education Vol. 23; no. 4; pp. 402 - 417
• Main Author: Reis-Jorge, José
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.05.2007; Elsevier
• Subjects: Case Studies; English (Second Language); Foreign Countries; In-service teacher education; Interviews; Language Teachers; Longitudinal Studies; Professional Development; Questionnaires; Second Language Instruction; Teacher Attitudes; Teacher conceptual change; Teacher learning; Teacher Researchers; Teacher-research; In-service teacher education; Teacher learning; Teacher-research; Teacher conceptual change
• ISSN: 0742-051X; 1879-2480
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tate.2006.12.007

Recognizing the importance teachers’ own voices play in their own professional development, the case study reported in this paper aims to illuminate the role that formal instruction and immersion in research can play in shaping teachers’ views of teacher-research and of themselves as future enquiring practitioners. The study was conducted with a group of nine overseas teachers attending a B.Ed. (Honours) degree in TEFL run by a higher education institution in Britain. Data were collected via questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and field notes from direct observation. Using a grounded theory methodology, the multiple sources of data were integrated into a theoretical model of ways of describing teacher research. The results of the study confirm previous assumptions that the highly-structured nature of the academic format of doing and reporting research may fall short of providing teachers with skills and tools for reflection that are easily transferable to practice.