This paper articulates firstly, the main issues underpinning collaborative research which have been presented in the recent literature. Secondly, the paper reports on the collaborative approaches used in two recent studies in which the researchers worked with teachers and investigated matters of mutual interest in relation to curriculum policy formulation and practice. A number of propositions, grounded in the data, have emerged from the studies and are presented here for scrutiny. These are set within a brief review of contemporary literature, with a view to extending existing beliefs and propositions about a collaborative research approach which brings meaning to the lived experiences of people in the field. The article concludes by arguing for a critical orientation towards collaborative action research as a worthwhile means of forming a partnership between university researchers and school-based teacher-researchers for both curriculum inquiry and empowerment. It is anticipated that such a paper will 'speak' to others engaging in similar professional field-based projects and will help to sharpen their own perceptions.

Utilising findings of a research study which examined the role of teachers in the process of educational policy change, this paper notes that teachers tend to cast themselves, and are cast by others, in a dependency situation as regards policy interpretation and implementation. In the interests of teacher professionalism and transformative educational change, this paper advocates an emancipatory approach to educational policy change. This approach is conceptualised in terms of three key dimensions: professional confidence; professional interpretation and professional consciousness. The paper makes suggestions for a professional development programme through which to promote teachers' understandings and capacities in these areas and thereby enable them to take an active part in their own professional empowerment.

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