This study investigated the perceptions of experienced teachers and student teachers in Netherlands with respect to different aspects of practice-based research in professional development schools (PDS) and non-PDS settings and to what degree these perceptions differed. The respondents were asked about their perceptions of several distinguished elements associated with the four main concepts of practice-based research: contextual input, personal input, the research process and the learning outcomes. The findings revealed that the Questionnaire on Teacher Research to be a useful, reliable and valid tool for assessing teachers’ and student teachers’ perceptions of their practice-based research efforts in secondary education schools. Furthermore, it appeared that respondents scored, on average, highest with respect to their research motives and the outcomes of practice-based research.