Action research was first introduced to the 18 students whose projects are the focus of this paper by way of the written outline for their student teaching semester and its accompanying seminar. Like most supervisors, I provided this document to the students during my first meeting with them. These particular students quickly found that they were to complete an action research project, the goal of which was “to help you understand your own practice and to improve
it”. Other supervisors in the program have argued that action research should not be introduced until three or four weeks into the semester (Noffke Sr Brennan, in press). I disagree. Given its location in a university teacher education program, students m-e concerned with what they will have to do to satisfactorily complete the semester. Action research appears on the syllabus and the students want to know what it is about. Furthermore. at Statement of Expectations conferences (in which the supervisor, teacher, and student clarify what they expect of each other and negotiate a timeline for the student’s teaching during the semester), action research is mentioned in as much as I ask the teachers to assist the students
with their action research if asked to do so. If the students have no idea what action research is about, it seems more likely that it may be seen