This book offers teachers a convenient means of broadening their understanding of various kinds of composition theory and the steadily emerging field of teacher research by high school and college instructors. The book is designed to arouse individual teachers' interest in composition theory and encourage them to learn about and participate in teacher research. The book covers the various branches of teacher research and the key ideas of its many proponents. Individual chapters include: (1) The Move toward Theory in Composition; (2) Theory and Practice from a Feminist Perspective; (3) The Argument for Teacher Research; (4) Comprehension from Within: K-12 Teacher Research and the Construction of Knowledge; (5) Contextual Constraints on Knowledge Making: Graduate Student Teacher Research; and (6) Toward a Teacher-Research Approach to Graduate Studies. An interview with National Writing Project Teacher-Researchers, along with a sample syllabus for a graduate course in composition theory, are appended. (HB)