A Case Study of Novice Bilingual Education Teachers Conducting Action Research and Diffusing Teaching Innovations

This longitudinal case study involved nine first-year bilingual education teachers in urban schools who conducted action research within their classrooms. Conducting action research was a strategy for teachers to move from being a novice to becoming more expert. This case study posed two questions. How did school leaders and colleagues respond to innovations these bilingual teachers developed as a result of their practitioner inquiry? And how did these practitioners-researchers view the action research process and sharing their action research findings with school leaders and colleagues? The authors discuss their case study findings in terms of the teachers' feelings of self-efficacy and workplace isolation.