A Handbook for Exploratory Action Research

Abstract

The relationship between research, researchers, and teachers is a complex one. It is normally acknowledged that teachers do not read research articles on a regular basis, only few carry out any research, and an even smaller number publish their findings. Not reading research is less of a problem if we assume that SLA research is mostly irrelevant for language teachers (Medgyes 2017). It is more of a concern if we assume that, just as general practitioners need to keep up with medical research, teachers should be aware of the latest developments in L2 acquisition (Paran 2017). In the latter case, however, we face the problem of lack of time and financial resources for access. When it comes to conducting research and then publishing it, the hurdles for ordinary non-native speaker English teachers (the majority in the profession) are almost insurmountable. As for teacher-research, not that many years ago, Ur (2013) emphasized that teachers are too busy preparing for and giving lessons and cannot research or publish because these activities are usually not perceived as part of their job. Throw into the mix the ambitious ministry directives for continuing professional development for recertification and the requirement (at least at tertiary level) to publish research-based articles (preferably, in journals indexed by prestigious abstract and citation databases such as Scopus), and you end up with serious research and academic writing anxiety.

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