Action research serves the needs of the reflective professional well because it combines the mastery of the professional knowledge a teacher has built up ober the years with the wisdom of everyday practice. Although there are is no one universally accepted set of processes that constitute conducting action research, it is generally agreed that it focuses on researching an issue of interest to the teacher and usually takes place inside the classroom to determine what is currently occuring. Action research involves the teacher systematically collecting information about this issue and then acting on the information to make improvements to the issue. In order to help teachers collect information related to their action research project, they can use such reflective tools such as teaching journals,classroom observation,narrative analysis and group discussions among other methods that are all covered in this book. Through a process, then, that includes planning observing, analysing, acting and reviewing, language teachers can learn a great deal about the nature of classroom teaching snd learning as well as acquire useful classroom invertigation skills.