Primary school English teachers' research engagement

Understanding Language Teachers’ Motivations Towards Research

“…Whereas previous research has identified the various contextual obstacles to language teachers’ action research (e.g., Gao & Chow, ), the present study, focusing on language teachers’ research motivations, demonstrates how the two participants coped with different personal and contextual challenges (e.g., their limited research competence and the rigid school curriculum) and sought their continuous professional development through action research with the assistance of university researchers. Specifically, the study adds to our limited understanding of how teachers’ research motivations interact with their different self‐concepts (i.e., the actual self, the ideal self, the ought self, and the feared self) in shaping and influencing their research engagement in their situated professional contexts (Kubanyiova, ).…”

“…To date, there is a paucity of studies on language teachers’ research motivations, particularly in English as a foreign language (EFL) contexts such as China. Similar to other EFL contexts, language teachers in China are often encouraged by policy makers and school leaders to engage in classroom research (Gao & Chow, ); however, their research motivations might be affected by a wide range of contextual obstacles, such as large classroom size, lack of school support, and the examination‐oriented system (Borg, , ). Therefore, informed by the self‐discrepancy theory (e.g., Higgins, ) and the possible selves theory (e.g., Markus & Nurius, ), the present study seeks to examine two language teachers’ research motivations in their action research in China.…”

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of Latent Sub-Scales of Teacher Research Engagement of Public Schools Elementary Teachers

“…The teachers are most highly engaged in applying learned concepts in the classroom. This finding is affirmed and supported by the study ofGao & Chow (2011) research engagement is an essential avenue for teachers to develop their professional competence Watkins (2006). also added that research engagement mainly helped practitioners to obtain an outsider outlook toward the practice of learning; learn what other people are doing in their professional practice; see the practical relevance of research to a classroom setting.…”

Classroom-oriented Research

“…The trainees developed their classroom research skills, raised their level of awareness to the classroom situation, and learned how to introduce more variety to classroom activities in response to learners' needs. Investigating Chinese primary school teachers' research engagement was the aim of a study by Gao and Wai Kwan Chow (2011). Despite the fact that the participants were both encouraged and given the opportunities to do research, they faced obstacles in the form of contextual constrains (the financial situation of the school and their teaching load) and their low evaluation of themselves as researchers.…”