Abstract
How does action research (AR) contribute to language teacher cognition? I answer this question by using language teacher cognition concepts to examine teacher-written AR studies. First, I show how AR contributes to epistemological landscapes. As language teachers try to make sense of the puzzles and problems in their classrooms, they reflexively discover their own role in them. Second, I show how AR reveals the conceptual geography of language teachers' inner lives by examining their outer lives. In planning AR, many teachers recognise the importance of shared understanding of intentions. Third, I show how AR is aimed at an ethical vision based on the social relevance of teaching to learning. Through AR, language teachers use their cognition to unite theory and practice praxically. Action research makes a valuable contribution to language teacher cognition research as well as to local language teaching and learning. Teachers deserve support to pursue AR because it is a low-cost high-impact means of improving teacher practices and student learning.