Introduction to Part One

Despite the blossoming of research for and by practitioners over the years, we still understand little about the challenges that must be overcome, or the benefits that may be gained in this field of activity. As Zeichner and Noffke (2001), in their seminal article on practitioner research, maintain, there is a need for greater understanding of the implications of, and for, practitioners wishing to engage in research into their own educational practices in language learning and teaching (see Quote Box 2.1).