Abstract
ABSTRACT Framed in action research, the authors investigated the perceptions and experiences of a cohort of student-teachers as they learned about and explored for the first time teacher research in a self-contained module as part of a four-year pre-service or initial English language teacher education (IELTE) programme in southern Argentina. The module, ‘Research in English Language Teaching’, ran from March–November 2018. It was led by a teacher educator based in Argentina and a UK-based colleague who acted as an external academic advisor. Drawing on qualitative research, data collection strategies included: the tutor’s journal; student-teachers’ journals; assignments; research proposals; report drafts; presentations; group discussions; interactions between the tutors; and end-of-course interviews. The findings show that the module had a positive effect on student-teachers’ identity, their English language proficiency, and the role of reflection in feedback processes. The student-teachers appreciated teacher research as reflective practice and as a source of professional development.
Highlights
Current teacher education rhetoric emphasises the empowering nature of teacher research (TR) among pre-service teachers, teachers, teacher educators and educational institutions (Carvajal Tapia, 2017)
In wrapping up the module, the 14 student-teachers agreed that time constraints and the difficult atmosphere created by the teachers’ strikes, which lasted three months, had challenged their research plans. They had to speed up certain processes, such as the final report write-up, because of the deadlines of the initial English language teacher education (IELTE) programme. The aim of this experience was to understand the effects of a teacher research module in IELTE with the conviction that teachers do not need to wait to complete postgraduate studies to engage in educational research
Despite concerns about academic research as opposed to teacher research (Extract 10), the overall perception was positive among the student-teachers as they felt motivated by the experience (Extracts 2–3)
Summary
Current teacher education rhetoric emphasises the empowering nature of teacher research (TR) among pre-service teachers (van Katwijk, Berry, Jansen, & van Veen, 2019), teachers, teacher educators and educational institutions (Carvajal Tapia, 2017). TR can be conceptualised as research carried out by teachers for teachers and learners to understand and transform their situated practices. 333) and recommend engaging student-teachers in TR from the beginning of their teacher education pro gramme. In this sustained call for educational teacher research, educational researchers and teacher educators are reminded to engage in research which informs educational policy, curriculum innovation, practice and teacher preparation (Darling-Hammond, 2016; Sleeter, 2014). In the field of second language education, teacher research has been documented in several recent publications
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