Foreword : research literacy : supporting teacher research in English language teaching : special supplement III

Abstract

This is the third and final Special Supplement on research literacy. All three Special Supplements highlight the different kinds of support that teachers need in order to develop their research literacy, as well as do and share research. Research literacy does not only consist of the technical knowledge and skills required to engage with and in research. Besides knowing how to critically engage with published research and how to design research instruments and conduct a study, teachers also need to nurture attitudes and beliefs in relation to research that will enable them to position themselves as research engaged professionals. As shown by the contributors to these Special Supplements, the support that teachers need is varied in nature. It is certainly not as simple and straightforward as some might think, and it might go beyond the traditional forms of teacher training popular in ELT. Its main objective is to empower teachers to see themselves as capable of finding answers to the questions they have about their contexts, their practices, their students, and their professional identities.