ABSTRACT
Action research (AR) is typically seen as ‘empowering’ teachers, enabling them to acquire deeper insights and understanding of their practices. At the heart of claims for AR is the notion of innovation and renewal through a systematic methodological approach that brings together classroom action, research, reflection and understanding. Some, however, contest the notion of AR (e.g. Allwright, 2005; Dörnyei, 2007; Allwright & Hanks, 2009) as being ‘parasitic’ (Allwright, 2005) on the professional lives and concerns of teachers, while others (e.g. Rainey, 2000; Borg, 2010) analyse the prevalence of teacher AR and point to the realities of the constraints and difficulties for many teachers.
