English teacher educators’ engagement with and attitudes towards educational research

Abstract

Today, the development of research skills in teacher education programs is highly valued. In line with this, this mixed-method case study aimed to examine teachers’ engagement with and attitudes towards educational research in an EFL teacher education program in Mexico. A sample of the population of educators answered the Teacher Attitude Scale towards Educational Research (Ilhan et al.), whereas qualitative data emanated from interviews with 6 teachers. Findings suggest that teacher educators perceive the value of educational research; however, its necessity and applicability cannot be ascertained. Barriers that impede teacher educators’ engagement with research, resulting in a lack of research culture in this context, were also identified.