We argue for the importance of sustainability in practitioner research, with reference to our experiences of facilitating and researching English language teacher action research in Australia. We draw on a sociocultural ecological theoretical framework to propose ways in which sustainability can be achieved in practitioner research.
In this talk, we argue for the importance of sustainability in practitioner research, and examine this concept from two key perspectives, with reference to our experiences of facilitating and researching English language teacher action research in Australia. We draw on a sociocultural ecological theoretical framework (van Lier, 2011; Edwards & Burns, 2016) to propose ways in which sustainability can be achieved in practitioner research. Our first perspective is to view sustainability as the opportunity for a teacher researcher to continue with their own research project beyond any formal, external research program or course timeframe, to allow the research to become part of a teacher’s daily practice and for insights to emerge organically over time. This view sees the continuation of a ‘reflective mindset’ as a crucial aspect of practitioner research (Allwright, 1997), and this continuation requires certain mediating conditions within the teacher’s institutional environment. Our second perspective on sustainability is the possibility for colleagues and peers to become part of a community of practice who share, replicate or extend the initial practitioner research project, so that those within the broader institutional environment, and beyond, can benefit. We illustrate these perspectives on sustainability with examples from the annual Cambridge English Assessment/English Australia Action Research program, which has been supporting English language teachers in doing action research since 2010. References Allwright, D. (1997). Quality and sustainability in teacher-research. TESOL Quarterly, 31(2), 368-70. Edwards, E. & Burns, A. (2016). Language teacher researcher identity negotiation: An ecological perspective. TESOL Quarterly, 50(3), 735-745. van Lier, L. (2011). Language learning: An ecological–semiotic approach. In E. Hinkel (Ed.), Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning (vol. 2, pp. 383–394). New York: Routledge.
