ELYANORA MENGLIEVA (UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK)
UMIDA HAKIMOVA (Namangan state institute of foreign languages named after I.Ibrat)
DILAFRUZ SARIMSAKOVA (Namangan State University)

EXPLORATORY ACTION RESEARCH EXPERIENCES OF STUDENT-TEACHERS IN ENGLISH TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN UZBEKISTAN : TEACHER EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Research is often conceptualised as a more theoretical and academic concept that does not offer many practical benefits for teachers to solve teaching challenges. However, teacher-research, particularly exploratory action research, is gaining more attention from teachers interested in exploring their classroom challenges or building teacher agency over their continuing professional development. Exploratory action research (EAR), one form of teacher research, is considered a viable gradual professional development activity that can transform English language teachers’ knowledge about research, successful teaching and teaching practices. EAR encourages teachers to develop appropriate methodology by integrating research with teaching and exploring issues emerging in their classrooms, then taking appropriate actions and measuring the introduced change (Smith, 2015). Exploratory action research has much to offer to pre-service student-teachers in terms of successful teaching, reflective learning and teacher identity formation. This presentation aims to demonstrate the reflections and perceptions of student-teachers learning about exploratory action research in teacher education programs. Besides, the presentation will show how research is relevant to successful teacher identity and successful teaching practices. The presenters will also provide recommendations on how to introduce exploratory action research into preservice English teacher education programs based on the best practices of the project “Introducing teacher-research into English pre-service teacher education programmes at two universities in Uzbekistan. Reference: Smith, R. (2015). Exploratory action research as workplan: why, what and where from? In K. Dikilitaş, R. Smith and W. Trotman, Teacher-researchers in Action, Faversham: IATEFL, p.37-45.

Miss Elyanora Menglieva is a PhD student at the University of Warwick specializing in English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics. She has more than 10 years of teaching and teacher training experience. Her research interests are teacher professional development, preservice teacher education, teacher research, and English language teacher identity.

Umida has been teaching English for 20 years. Currently, she is an English teacher at Namangan State Institute of Foreign Languages. Her research interests are teacher education, reflective practice, classroom research and teacher motivation.

Dr. Dilafruz Sarimsakova teaches in the Pre-Service Teacher Training program at Namangan State University (Uzbekistan). Her research interests include curriculum development, action research methodology, and intercultural communication. Her articles appeared in the English Teaching Professional magazine and European Journal of Research and Reflection in Educational Sciences.