The Potential of Qualitative Research in Initial Teacher Education: An Exploratory Study of the Attitudes of Learners of Foreign Languages
Keywords:
Attitudes towards research, Qualitative educational research, Initial teacher education, Language learnersAbstract
This study investigates the cognitive, affective and behavioural attitudes towards qualitative educational research of prospective language teachers enrolled in a teacher education Masters programme. The data, collected using Papanastasiou’s (2005) Attitude Towards Research (ATR) scale and analysed using an independent t-test, showed no statistically significant differences between students with and without previous experience of teaching educational research. Systematic reviews of the literature (Early, 2014; Matos et al., 2023; Wang et al., 2023) indicate that studies predominantly focus on quantitative research teaching and often find ambivalent or negative attitudes. The results of the present study, on the other hand, show a general appreciation of qualitative research, which is seen as relevant both during the course of study and for future teaching careers. This initial exposure to qualitative educational research, thanks to more accessible methods and language, could foster a culture of evidence-based research and support the development of critical and reflective skills that are essential for teaching professionalism.
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