Bridging the gap between theory and practice through engaging teacher candidates in research

2018-10-12
Seferoğlu, Gölge
Teacher candidates may have anxiety in relation to conducting research stemming from either their lack of research knowledge and skills or their lack of research experience which may result in their developing an avoidance strategy towards research throughout their career. In order to break down potential barriers to holding a positive attitude towards teacher research, positive experiences and support are essential. Therefore, during their undergraduate education teacher candidates should be encouraged to conduct small scale research, and feedback should be provided during all phases of their research process. Research engagement in undergraduate education provides several benefits for teacher candidates. It helps them establish connections between theory and practice, provides personal development, improves professional competence and research competence, and enhances questioning, critical thinking, problem-solving and reflective thinking skills. Therefore, it seems essential for teacher education programs to design and implement curricula through which teacher candidates are able to learn how to conduct research and utilize the results of research in practice. Although a plethora of research focused on the benefits of teachers’ engagement in research, few studies have been conducted in relation to preservice teachers’ research engagement. This talk will explore how the gap between research and practice may be bridged through helping preservice teachers develop positive attitudes towards research and giving them opportunities to engage in research during their undergraduate education. The discussion will include both theoretical and practical considerations.
International Conference on Research in Applied Linguistics, (11 - 12 Ekim 2018)

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Citation Formats
G. Seferoğlu, “Bridging the gap between theory and practice through engaging teacher candidates in research,” presented at the International Conference on Research in Applied Linguistics, (11 - 12 Ekim 2018), 2018, Accessed: 00, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://hdl.handle.net/11511/74978.