NAEYC Publishes Book on Teacher Research
in Early Childhood Education

New collection of readings offers a theoretical framework
and lively accounts of teacher research in action

WASHINGTON—The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is pleased to announce the publication of Our Inquiry, Our Practice: Undertaking, Supporting, and Learning from Early Childhood Teacher Research(ers). This new collection of readings provides an in-depth look at the teacher research process and the unique way it contributes to quality in the early childhood profession. In the book the authors explore what teacher research in the early childhood setting looks like, why it is important to the field of early childhood education, and how teacher educators can support it.

Edited by Gail Perry, Barbara Henderson, and Daniel R. Meier, Our Inquiry, Our Practice features captivating full-length teacher research studies that show teachers engaged in the systematic study of their own practice. Each study is designed to answer their questions about teaching and learning, and their own effectiveness.

“Teacher research provides a valuable way for teachers to discover what is and is not working in their classroom practice, consider their own beliefs, and examine how theories of practice actually relate to their own work,” said Gail Perry, PhD, editor of Our Inquiry, Our Practice. “The practical strategies in this volume demonstrate how teacher inquiry can become a part of classroom life and suggest ways to support this exciting and growing part of the early childhood field.”

The book is divided into two main sections and includes articles from NAEYC’s online journal, Voices of Practitioners.
Chapters in Part I: What Is Teacher Research? describe the teacher research process and offer advice for practitioners and students embarking on their own studies. Part II: How Can Early Childhood Professionals Support Teacher Researchers? examines how teacher research can be incorporated into professional development programs on college and university campuses, at early childhood centers, and during discussions in teacher research groups. Provocative discussions describe how teacher research addresses 21st century issues in the early childhood field, such as rethinking the way teachers address the complexity of today’s real-world early education settings.

“Undertaken with the leadership of NAEYC, this book promises to inform and inspire many teachers and teacher educators in the field of early childhood education to find their own ‘ways forward.’ In doing so they will contribute to the improvement of education for all children, as well as lend strength to the broader movement for teacher research as it evolves in the years to come,” said Susan L. Lytle, coauthor of Inquiry as Stance: Practitioner Research for the Next Generation.

Our Inquiry, Our Practice: Undertaking, Supporting, and Learning From from Early Childhood Teacher Research(ers),   ($25.00; 224 pages; ISBN 978-1-928896-78-4) is available for sale from NAEYC’s Online Store. Review copies are available upon request.