Action research and professional development in Mexican teachers’ colleges

Abstract

Numerous studies have explored the benefits and challenges in the implementation of action research for teacher development in various educational levels. Nevertheless, research is needed on the educators who train the future teachers of public elementary education. Through an interpretative collective case study, this research explored the knowledge, experience, expectations and challenges of teacher educators when they are required to implement action research as an institutionalized professional development strategy. Teacher educators from three teachers’ colleges in southeastern Mexico participated in the study. The results of categorical aggregation analyses conducted on surveys, workshop, focus group, and interview data reveal homogeneous perceptions about the use of action research among the participants, although they lack previous experience with this research type as well as conceptual and methodological clarity. Moreover, they must overcome different personal and institutional challenges to implement action research as an institutional professional teacher development strategy.