Teachers as researchers: A discovery of their emerging role and impact through a school-university collaborative research

• Main Authors: Ken Chow, Samuel Kai Wah Chu, Nicole Tavares, Celina Wing Yi Lee
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Brock University 2015-10-01
• Series: Brock Education: a Journal of Educational Research and Practice
• Subjects: teacher research; school-university collaboration; inquiry project based learning
• Online Access: https://brock.scholarsportal.info/journals/brocked/home/article/view/374

This study explored the impact of the role of teacher-researchers on in-service teachers’ professional development, as well as the reasons behind the lack of a teacher-as-researcher ethos in schools. In the study, teachers from four Hong Kong primary schools participated in a school-university collaborative research project that promotes collaborative inquiry project-based learning (IPjBL), in which they took the dual role of the teacher and researcher. Five focus group interviews were conducted with the teachers to collect in-depth qualitative data on their experiences. The impact of this experience on teacher professionalism was examined from four dimensions: knowledge enrichment, school culture, teaching practice and curriculum design. The study provides evidence for the benefits of teacher research and sheds light on how university-school collaboration could contribute to engaging teachers in action research in their everyday classroom.