Early Language Learning & Multilingual Education Network

From Subjects to Co-Researchers: Rethinking Children's Role in Early Language Learning Research

ABSTRACT

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Early additional language learning (EALL) research has traditionally prioritized adult perspectives, often marginalizing children’s voices. This study challenges such paradigms by examining current trends among international EALL researchers, focusing on the shift from research about children to research with children. Drawing on mixed methods data from 61 researchers across 27 countries, it investigates attitudes toward child autonomy, agency, and participation. Results highlight the growing recognition of children as competent informants in their own right, capable of contributing meaningfully to language learning research when appropriate, child-centered methodologies are used. The study underscores ethical imperatives, such as informed assent and non-coercive participation, and the methodological importance of triangulating perspectives—those of children, caregivers, and educators—to capture the full ecology of language learning. By illuminating current practices and perceptions, this research offers critical insights into how the field may better honor young learners’ voices in both ethical and epistemological terms.​​

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BIO

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Danijela Prošić is a Full Professor of English language and literature and the Vice-Dean for Education at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Novi Sad (Serbia). Her main research interests are related to EFL teacher education and early foreign language learning, as well as and using children's literature in teaching, with a focus on fairy tales and nursery rhymes. Currently, she is a member of the Committee of the General Assembly of Early Language Learning Research Association.