ABSTRACT
The focus of this chapter is on inquiry done by science teachers on their own practice to improve it, to improve their educational situations, to gain a better understanding of their practice and situations, and to share with others through presentations or publications. As such, action research (AR) is fundamentally a form of teacher education. The first part of the chapter provides an overview of the nature of AR and the development of a framework for the use of AR in science teacher education. The second part of the chapter consists of cases of science teacher action research for the purposes of inquiring into students’ cognition of science, the improvement of science curriculum, the development of science teachers, and the promotion of equity and social justice. The chapter concludes with a summary of the place of AR as one of the most promising strategies for science teacher education.
