Teacher Research

Teacher research is the systematic, intentional investigation by teachers into their own practice. It is broader than Action Research — it encompasses any form of principled inquiry undertaken by classroom practitioners to understand teaching and learning in their own contexts. The term signals a shift: teachers are not merely consumers of research but producers of knowledge.

Forms of Teacher Research

Action Research

The most established form. A cyclical process: identify a problem → plan an intervention → act → observe → reflect → revise. Burns (1999, 2010) has been influential in bringing action research to ELT. See Action Research for full treatment.

Exploratory Practice

Developed by Dick Allwright (2003) and further elaborated with Judith Hanks (2009). EP differs from action research in a fundamental way: it focuses on understanding rather than solving. Teachers investigate "puzzles" — things they find puzzling about their classroom — using normal pedagogical activities as research tools.

Key principles of EP:

• Prioritise quality of life in the classroom over efficiency
• Work to understand before working to change
• Use familiar classroom activities as investigative tools — do not add extra research tasks
• Include learners as co-researchers, not just subjects
• Aim for sustainability — research as part of practice, not on top of it

EP is explicitly designed to be sustainable — a response to the criticism that action research can be burdensome and unsustainable for working teachers.

Practitioner Research

An umbrella term that includes action research, exploratory practice, and any other form of systematic inquiry conducted by practitioners. It emphasises the teacher's insider perspective as a source of valid knowledge about teaching and learning.

Narrative Inquiry

Teachers investigate their practice through stories — drafting, sharing, and redrafting narratives that capture experiences of teaching and learning. Narrative inquiry (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000) treats lived experience as data. In ELT, it has been used to explore teacher identity, beliefs, and professional development.

Lesson Study

A collaborative form of teacher research originating in Japan (jugyou kenkyuu). Teachers jointly plan a "research lesson," one teaches it while others observe, and the group reflects and revises. See Lesson Study. The focus is on student learning, not teacher performance.

Why Teacher Research Matters

• Closes the research-practice gap: Academic research often fails to reach classrooms. Teacher research generates knowledge that is immediately relevant and actionable.
• Professionalises teaching: When teachers research, they position themselves as knowledge-makers, not just knowledge-consumers.
• Deepens understanding: Systematic inquiry reveals patterns and dynamics invisible to casual reflection.
• Drives Continuing Professional Development: Research engagement is one of the most powerful forms of professional growth.
• Improves practice: Even when the findings are modest, the process of asking questions, gathering data, and reflecting changes how teachers think about their work.

Challenges

• Time: The most common barrier. Teaching workloads leave little space for systematic inquiry.
• Training: Many teachers lack research skills — designing studies, collecting data, analysing findings. Support and mentoring are essential.
• Institutional culture: Some schools do not value or support teacher research. Without institutional recognition, it becomes an individual burden.
• Quality and rigour: Teacher research is sometimes dismissed as anecdotal or unsystematic. Clear methodology and peer review (even informal) strengthen credibility.
• Publication and dissemination: Teacher research rarely reaches wider audiences. Teacher research groups, conferences (e.g., the IATEFL Research SIG), and practitioner journals help.

Getting Started

1. Notice a puzzle: What do you find puzzling, surprising, or frustrating in your classroom?
2. Read: What have others written about this topic? A brief literature review sharpens the question.
3. Choose a method: Action research cycle, exploratory practice, observation, survey, interview, journal — match the method to the question.
4. Collect data: Systematically, over a defined period. Keep it manageable.
5. Analyse and reflect: Look for patterns. What did you learn? What surprised you?
6. Share: With a colleague, a department meeting, a conference, or a publication. Sharing is what makes private inquiry into professional knowledge.