Introduction to the special issue: Challenges and practices to advance sustainable and inclusive practitioner research

Abstract

This introduction to Language Teaching Research’s Special Issue “Challenges and Practices to Advance Sustainable and Inclusive Practitioner Research” introduces readers to central themes and issues surrounding inclusive and sustainable Practitioner Research (PR). Three traditions that foreground practitioners as active agents (Action Research, Exploratory Practice, Reflective Practice) are discussed, providing initial context. The article considers the value that teachers, learners, and teacher educators bring to research as practitioners with agency. Empowering practitioners in agenda-setting and supporting the practice and dissemination of practitioners researching their own classrooms and instructional environments, the authors argue, are vital for the fields of Applied Linguistics, English for Academic Purposes, and Language Education. The discussion highlights two central and intertwined tenets of PR work that feature in the articles of the special issue: inclusivity of students in the learning, teaching, and research processes, and sustainability fostered through supportive communities and the use of familiar pedagogic activities to sustain teachers’ investigative efforts. The four authors bring their unique perspectives as editors, authors, and practitioners to the discussions, providing an overview of the novel conceptual and empirical work undertaken in different parts of the world. We conclude that although inclusivity in PR may be hard to achieve, it is a goal worth striving for, with rich contributions for the field.