Special Issue: The Research Literacy of Teachers

How should teachers engage with research in their professional practice?Although this stubborn and controversial question can be approached from many angles, there is reason to resist tendencies in the field to splinter into separate and opposing camps.An ongoing conversation between different approaches is crucial for research to provide a balanced picture of the role of research in teaching practice and to attain a reflective interpretation of professional standards.Part of the aim of this special issue is to facilitate such a conversation.As we invited authors from different traditions to give their account of current issues and predicaments, we thought "research literacy" could operate as a bridgebuilding concept.It could provide a common lens through which to view the issues at the heart of the debate concerning research and teaching, which in turn could help bring about some concord.Although we are not sure our framing has softened the disagreement, it has enabled us to see important dimensions and challenges in the debate more clearly.The core meaning of research literacy is having an adequate grasp of research and the ability to connect research-based knowledge to practical concerns.A research literate person understands certain scientific concepts and methods, and their relevance for justifying practical decisions.Beyond this generic description, however, research literacy is arguably a domain-specific concept.Being research literate regarding climate change is probably quite different from