Understanding and improving teachers’ research engagement: Insights from success stories in Poland and Spain

Abstract

Drawing on a qualitative, interview-based study of 36 research-engaged teachers in Poland and Spain, this paper aims to identify and explore the types of their research engagement, and their recommendations on how education stakeholders can improve this engagement. The findings reveal three types of teacher research engagement – i.e. situational engagement, emotional engagement, and transformative engagement – as well as specific roles and responsibilities for five stakeholders they view as being key to improving teacher research engagement: school leaders, teachers, university communities, teacher education providers, and policy makers. The paper concludes with new insights for theory and practice in this field.