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202 DAVID NUNANsuch as unhersity-based researchers, hahe no role to play in practitioner-based research.However, the role is one of collaboration and ad\ icc rather than direction and control.Problems and solutions in doing action researchI would now like to reassure those who might feel that I am looking at teacher researchthrough rose-colouretl glasses. It is certainly not the case that everything is rosy in the AKgarden.The principal problems identified liy teachers with whom I have Morked in a numberof different contexts include the following:Lack of timeLack of expertiseLack of ongoing supportFear of being rclvealcd as an incompetent tcacherFear of producing a public account of their rcscarch for a wider (unknolzn) audienceWe have cxperimcntcd tvith a number of solutions to the problems. I believe that thcchances for an action rcscarch agenda to succccd will be maximiscd under the followingconditions:There is somcwne ‘on thr ground’ to ‘okvn’ the project.One or more individuals with training in research methods arc availablc ‘on tap’ toprovide assistance and support to tcachcrs.‘Teachers are given paid relcasc time from face-to-facc teaching during the course oftheir action research.Collaborative focus teams arc established so that teachers involi et1 in similar areas ofinquiry can support one another.Teachers arc given adequate training in methods antl techniques for identifying issues,collecting data, analysing and interpreting data, and prcscnting the outcomes of theirresearch,In order to facilitate the process, colleagues antl I haw del elopcd an in-serviceprogrammc.This programme \vas initially devised for the IdPT project (Languages InserviceProject forTeachers) in South Australia, antl has bccn further moditietl and refined in Sydney,where a project has bccn establishctl hinging together mainstream teachers, ESL teachers,and teachers of LOTE (Languages Other than English). InTalilc 16.4,l have provided asummary of the professional development programme as it currently exists.Evaluating action researchFrom what has already Iwen said, it is clear that action research is difficult, messy,protilematic, and, in some cases, inconclusive. It consumes a grcat deal of time, and oftenstrains the goodwill of the teachers invol\etl, as well as those with whom they work.Ho\vever, evaluative data from teachers themselves suggests that teachers who have hccninvolved in action research are overwhelmingly in favour of it. For example, Mickan, whocollected data on the reaction of outside teachers to his LII’T project, writes:Teacher4 hahe welcomed the article4 from LIPT. The) ha\e found them particularlyuseful and relaant hcxausc the! depict the complex circumstances of classroom life