International Educational Review

Toward an Epistemology of the Teacher-Researcher Stance

Patrice Potvin 1 * ,
Bénédicte Boissard 2
1 Université du Québec à Montréal2 Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières* Corresponding Author
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International Educational Review, Volume 4, Issue 1, 2026, pp. 59-73
OPEN ACCESS VIEWS: 53 DOWNLOADS: 21 Publication date: 15 Apr 2026
ABSTRACT
Teacher-led inquiry has gained increasing prominence in educational research and professional development, yet the epistemological status of the knowledge it produces remains insufficiently clarified. This conceptual analysis article proposes a situated and practice-oriented epistemology of the teacher-researcher stance, distinct from both the epistemology of teaching and that of academic research. Building on the notion of epistemic stance, we conceptualise teaching, research, and teacher-led inquiry as governed by irreducible epistemological regimes, each oriented toward different epistemic goods. We argue that teacher-researcher knowledge is characterised by its empirical grounding, contextualisation, and direct professional usefulness, rather than by generalisability. Clarifying this epistemology helps normalise structural tensions, support teacher engagement in inquiry, and align evaluative expectations with professional realities, while opening avenues for broader reflection on epistemologies in educational research.
KEYWORDS
Teacher research, Teacher-led action-research, Professional epistemological perspective, Teacher Training, Professionalisation.
CITATION (APA)
Potvin, P., & Boissard, B. (2026). Toward an Epistemology of the Teacher-Researcher Stance. International Educational Review, 4(1), 59-73. https://doi.org/10.58693/ier.414
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