Action Research and Continuous Professional Development

Action research (AR) can be considered an integral part of teachers' continuous professional development (CPD).
Also known as practitioner-based research, AR is a kind of scientific investigation which allows teachers to take a
critical stance towards their own practice and use the result of self-investigation to improve their classroom
teaching practice. The need for AR in the language classroom is felt in many parts of the worlds, especially in
countries such as Bangladesh where English language teaching practice has not been successful in spite of the
introduction of a number of changes in the curriculum and classroom teaching methods. This paper, therefore,
explores the theoretical and practical aspects of AR, its relation with CPD, and the ways in which AR can be
employed in the second language programs of Bangladesh.