Teacher Action Research in Foreign Language Classrooms: Four Teachers Tell Their Stories

Abstract

As a profession language educators are paying more attention to teacher-driven research to help clarify and explain those phenomena occurring in our classrooms. The purpose of this paper is to explore the following question: What happens when teachers apply a teacher action research (TAR) strategy for improving their classroom practice? I will start with a definition and then outline a set of steps for conducting this type of research. Next, the four teachers tell their own “stories” and share reflections on growth and development. Finally, I posit the importance of this kind of research in making contributions to language teaching and learning inquiry.