Initial English language teacher education: the effects of a module on teacher research

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 selfcontained 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 endof-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.

A Thematic Analysis of Action Research in Initial Teacher Education: Reflections and Future Directions

“…Another theme emerged from the literature review is related to the reconstruction of teacher identity (e.g., Banegas & Consoli, 2021;Capobianco & Ríordáin, 2015;Dikilitaş & Çomoglu, 2022;Levin & Rock, 2003;Price, 2001;Smith & Sela, 2005;Trent, 2010). The research suggests that AR creates a space for reflection and questioning that allows PSTs to work on the discrepancy between vision and reality, which could engage them in a process of identity formation.…”

“…The studies reviewed have revealed that participation in AR projects (re)constructs PSTs' understanding of research and improves their research skills (e.g., Aras, 2021;Banegas & Consoli, 2021;Faikhamta & Clarke, 2015;Trent, 2010;Ulvik et al 2018;Yan, 2016). For example, in the context of a four-year pre-service ELT program in southern Argentina, Banegas and Consoli (2021) explored the impact of a mandatory research module which aimed to help PSTs gain a research mindset by giving them the opportunity to conduct individual AR projects. The results indicated that the PSTs' traditional views of research were challenged and reconstructed as they saw how AR bridged the gap between theory and practice.…”

Research Engagement in Language Education

“…Acknowledging, respecting, and valuing these professional identities does not constitute the end of good, meaningful research for the language education community. After all, despite some concerns about the validity of language education research for 'real world' issues and practices (e.g., Ushioda, 2020), there is evidence which fuels the hope that strong collaborative endeavours between traditional academic researchers, teachers and practitioner researchers are possible (e.g., Banegas and Consoli 2021;Dikilitaş and Wyatt 2018). After all, the rich tradition of Action Research in language education shows that teachers are capable agents of change who can generate powerful transformations and insights through research engagement.…”

“…Dörnyei (2007), for instance, lamented that most Action Research projects were conducted by teachers engaged in a postgraduate programme that involves a research component. This is echoed by Banegas and Consoli (2021) who also noted a dearth of pre-service or junior teachers who explore the value of research because research engagement tends to happen at postgraduate level, and even then, issues of privilege (e.g.,financial status and social class) may compromise some teachers' access to postgraduate programmes and research training.…”

Examining the Professional Quality of Experienced EFL Teachers for Their Sustainable Career Trajectories in Rural Areas in China

“…Language teacher education (LTE), which spans a wide variety of topics and perspectives, has been extensively researched since the 1990s [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. As an important agenda, language teacher professional quality has gained in popularity in LTE research [8][9][10], particularly along with some updated teaching methods including communicative language teaching (CLT), and more recently task-based language teaching (TBLT) and content and language integrated learning (CLIL).…”