Is doing research worth it? Student-teachers’ perceptions about research

• Roxana Cano Vara ^[1] ; Nadia Patricia Mejía Rosales ^[1] ; Katherine Grace Durán Howard ^[1]
  1. [1] Universidad Juárez del Estado de Durango

     Universidad Juárez del Estado de Durango

     México

     
• Localización: One classroom many languages / coord. por Sebire Raphaël Hubert Elie, 2017, ISBN 978-607-8549-01-6, págs. 101-116
• Idioma: inglés
• Enlaces
  • Texto Completo Libro (pdf)
• Resumen

  • The importance of the inclusion of a research strand in thepreparation of teachers both in mainstream education andlanguage teaching, has recently been gaining popularity since itprovides student-teachers with an opportunity to get used to systematically reflecting on their teaching practice and for the possibilities it offers for improving the quality of the learning process. (Hine, 2013; Crookes, 1993). However, it has also been noted that even though teachers are usually familiar with SLA research, very few believe that it provides them with practical suggestions about teaching (Nassaji, 2012). During the second year of their studies, the student-teachers from the BA in ELT UJED are required to take an introductory course on Research and during the third year, a course on Research methods in Education; the requisite to complete this course is to conduct a research project aimed at solving problems they identify during their teaching practice experience and to write a research report through which they are evaluated. Even when most of the students succeed in this task, it is not clear if they are aware of the impact that doing research can have on their future teaching practice. This study aimed at identifying a group of student-teachers’ perceptions regarding their conception of research, their experience as researchers, and the impact that doing research can have on their life as future language teachers.