Rainford, MarciaJames, Joan2013-07-082013-07-082013-07-08https://hdl.handle.net/2139/15938Paper presented at the Biennial Conference of The University of the West Indies Schools of Education, 23-25 April, 2013, St. Augustine, Trinidad and TobagoContinuing professional development (CPD) is considered essential for teachers and teacher educators to improve their practice. Models of CPD, such as those that involve action research, which respond to the local needs of teachers in the context of their regular classroom experiences, are considered to be particularly useful for sustaining interest and transforming practice. These models of CPD provide new learning spaces in the context of practice, where practitioners have greater control and become more involved in the process of their own professional development. This paper describes a participatory action research (PAR) project which was designed to improve one Grade 4 primary school teacher's attempts at using inquiry-based instruction in the teaching of science in Jamaica. It describes the impact on the practice of the two professionals-teacher and teacher educator-who were engaged in the collaboration. The findings of the study reveal that the PAR approach to CPD had positive effects on the practice of both teacher and teacher educator. The implications for using PAR for in-service professional development in primary science education are discussedenTeacher educatorsScience educationTeaching techniquesContinuing professional developmentPrimary school teachersScience educationPrimary school scienceCollaborative researchTeaching qualityAction researchConference papersJamaicaPresentation