Challenges Confronting the Researcher/Teacher: Conflicts of Purpose and Conduct

An increasing number of university faculty appreciate that the role of classroom teacher offers a valuable research perspective ( Richardson, 1994 ). However, striving to be both a researcher and a teacher presents unique and serious challenges. I refer to the Aristotelian distinction between the theoretical and practical "sciences" to characterize the nature of the conflicts I experienced as a researcher/teacher. I go on to describe how it became necessary to renegotiate traditional classroom values and expectations so that the activity of research might become a more productive part of the instructional experience. I suggest that similar kinds of tensions may be inherent to any responsible, inquiry-oriented teaching and that these challenges create opportunities to contemplate important issues about the nature of research, teaching, and curriculum.