| The main questions that guided this qualitative study were: How do teachers perceive and describe their initial experience planning and conducting teacher-research in their own professional settings? What do teachers report as their plans for the use of findings from their studies? What do teachers report as the effects of this experience on their classroom practice and professional interactions? By teacher-research, I mean systematic intentional inquiry by teachers about issues of practice (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 1990).; Most literature on teacher-research consists of texts describing techniques of classroom-inquiry, statements advocating teacher-research and teacher-authored accounts of classroom studies. These accounts provide some evidence of the influence of participation on the professional lives of teachers. There is, however, little empirical research that documents teachers' perspectives on their participation in teacher-research.; I studied the experience of 15 full-time teachers enrolled in a naturalistic inquiry course. The instructor, Lynne Miller, is a nationally recognized leader in teacher development and university/school improvement efforts. I used three methods to collect data: (1) observation; (2) document collection and analysis; and (3) structured interviews. I combined both segmentation and narrative strategies to organize and interpret data.; This study demonstrates just how challenging focused study of one's own work or work setting can be and illustrates the potentially rewarding nature of such systematic reflective inquiry for both teachers and students. As teachers collected and publicly analyzed data, they examined and rethought their professional beliefs and actions, developed deep understanding of their research topics, learned how their findings could inform their own practice and that of their colleagues, and initiated action plans based on these findings. Their stance toward their work changed in significant ways as they repositioned themselves professionally as teacher-researchers. They changed from teaching, telling, and acting to listening, observing and learning. They developed collaborative relationships with students and colleagues and their interactions with colleagues changed from congenial to collegial as they exchanged isolation for collaboration. These were not easy undertakings, particularly because these teachers became researchers in the very settings where they taught--their own professional settings. |
