Teachers’ Perceptions Of Educational Research: A small-scale study

Recent studies seem to indicate that when teachers engage with research great benefits to both lecturers’ teaching and students’ learning happen (Hoang, Thi Bich, Phuong, Bich, 2018). However, the integration of research in teaching-learning practice can still be identified as a challenge that needs to be met in higher education, (Vereijkena, van der Rijsta, Jan de Beaufortb, van Drielc, and Dekkerd, 2018). Besides, there seems to be a paucity of studies conducted to explore teacher educators’ research engagement in English as a Foreign Language contexts. Thus, this study aimed to examine EFL teachers’ engagement with and attitudes towards educational research in a Mexican teacher education programme. The team of researchers conducted a mixed-method study in which a sample of the population of educators answered the the Teacher Attitude Scale towards Educational Research (Ilhan et al. (2013). Qualitative data emanated from interviews to 6 teachers. The findings suggest that teacher educators perceive a need for educational research, however, its value and applicability cannot be ascertained. Barriers which impede teacher educators’ engagement with research were also identified.