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Learning to Do Action Research Through Reflection: A Longitudinal Study of Rural EFL Teachers

Abstract This longitudinal study presents a full view of three rural high school EFL teachers’ stories about learning to do action research through reflection. It takes a closer look at the contributions of reflection to action research, the challenges the teachers faced, and the changes they achieved. Over a 22-week semester, the three teachers engaged in a series of interrelated learning activities including journal writing, individual dialogues, group meetings and action research. The findings show that learning to do action research was a time-consuming and arduous task, and such difficulties arose when they identified research topics, formed research questions, collected data and wrote their reports. However, reflection through writing, talking and discussing pushed the process forward. The teachers’ professional development was mainly reflected in the changes in teaching practices and beliefs. A revisit held seven years later confirms that teachers’ ability to identify problems and to take action improved, but none of them tried to do further action research. For the teachers living in an unsupportive research context, integrating action research into teaching practices may not be a priority.