As part of a large-scale study, the present study explored the impact of research practice on professional development for English language teaching (ELT) in higher education. To this end, 10 masters students, 10 doctoral students and 10 university professors in ELT in different high-ranking state universities in Iran participated in the study. A narrative frame was first used to collect data about the participants' research practice in higher education. Subsequently, a semi-structured interview was conducted with the participants individually to triangulate the results of the narratives and yield more profound insights into the participants' research impact in ELT higher education. Grounded theory, used to analyse the data, uncovered a number of themes and categories addressing the impact of research on professional development in higher education for masters and doctoral students and university professors. A number of themes were uncovered for the following generated categories: growth of knowledge and skills in ELT, positive impact on professional teaching practice and qualifications. Implications and recommendations are provided for research practice in higher education.