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In:Child-centered Approaches to Applied Linguistic Research
Edited by Yuko Goto Butler and Annamaria Pinter
[Research Methods in Applied Linguistics 13] 2025
► pp. 53–77

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Chapter 4
The feasibility of child-centred research and who benefits from it

 | Independent consultant
Published online: 5 September 2025
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https://doi.org/10.1075/rmal.13.04pap
Abstract
In this chapter I make a distinction between child-focused, child-centred, and child-led research. Child-centred research aims to measure the full range of abilities to reflect the diversity of target population of children. It respects and responds to the needs and wishes of individual children. It can uncover child perspectives that may be different from those of adults. The feasibility of child-centred research depends on the research questions, the context, the target population of children, and the methodologies used, as I illustrate in three case studies in which I participated in different roles: as (1) a parent whose children have participated in language research; (2) a member of technical expert advisory group and atrained test administrator in a large-scale international survey; and (3) a consultant involved in the development and validation of a new English as a foreign language test for children. I outline possibilities and challenges of child-centredness that I have encountered in these projects and draw methodological implications.
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • The emergence of a child-centred approach to research. Ethical considerations
  • Study 1: Child-focused research: Language and rhythm
  • The benefits of child-centred research
  • Study 2: Child-focused study with child-centred elements: IELS
  • Children’s voices in foreign language testing research
    • Attitude scales
    • Drawings
  • Study 3: Child-centred research (British Council Primary English Test)
  • Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
References (43)
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