Cultivating teacher-inquirer identity through action research design: A study of in-service teachers in Spain

Action research enables teachers to critically reflect on their teaching practices while generating insights that promote improvement. However, in Spain, teacher training programs often underemphasize research skills, which has significant implications for teacher identity development. This qualitative study seeks to extend our understanding of how action research design can facilitate the development of a teacher-inquirer identity among in-service educators. Eighteen in-service teachers participated in a Master's course on Educational Research, where they designed an action research project as part of their training and produced reflective journals, fourteen of which were subsequently analyzed through content analysis. Employing the motivational model as a conceptual framework, this study highlights how engagement with structured action research design supports the transformation of teachers' professional identities by challenging existing beliefs about research, reshaping perceptions, and providing new insights into classroom practices. The findings have important implications for teacher training programs, practitioners, and researchers seeking to enhance teaching quality and student learning outcomes. • Action research design fosters teacher-inquirer identity. • Teachers evolved in four categories: Value, Affect, Expectancy, Transformation. • Participants showed shifts in beliefs, self-efficacy, and emotional engagement. • Inquiry journals stimulate deep, critical self-reflection. • Opportunity: integrate research-based reflection in teacher development programs.