ABSTRACT
Researchers have been accustomed to distancing themselves from their work as if such
separation would somehow render the work more plausible, credible, perhaps even more
“scientific.” We teachers often possess narrow notions about doing research from our
university experiences where use of the word “I” was forbidden and we were taught that
such expressions as “the researcher noted…” and “the investigator found…” were more
appropriate. Happily, times have changed, and today the idea of “teacher-as-researcher”
has gained greater value, not only in the educational research community, but also among
classroom teachers who realize that investigations conceived, implemented, and
evaluated by actual teachers in real classrooms among live schoolchildren promise to
better stand the tests of practicality and personal relevance. This is research to be used by
teachers, not merely displayed for purposes beyond the classroom.
