35.1400, Review: Engaging Children in Applied Linguistics Research: Pinter (2023)

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LINGUIST List: Vol-35-1400. Tue May 07 2024. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 35.1400, Review: Engaging Children in Applied Linguistics Research: Pinter (2023)

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Date: 07-May-2024
From: Sophia Takasu [sophiatakasu11 at gmail.com]
Subject: Applied Linguistics: Pinter (2023)


Book announced at https://linguistlist.org/issues/35.294

AUTHOR: Annamaria  Pinter
TITLE: Engaging Children in Applied Linguistics Research
SERIES TITLE: Cambridge Applied Linguistics
PUBLISHER: Cambridge University Press
YEAR: 2023

REVIEWER: Sophia Takasu

SUMMARY

Annamaria Pinter’s “Engaging Children in Applied Linguistics Research”
is meant for anyone interested in researching language education with
children’s perspectives. The book provides an alternative version of
conducting research on children through the use of partnerships.
Pinter proposes that child second and foreign language education may
be enhanced if children’s perspectives are invited into the research.

Chapter 1, “Setting the Scene,” advocates for a shift in the field of
applied linguistics towards actively involving children in research by
recognising them as experts on their own language learning
experiences. Pinter suggests that researchers should move past the
passive roles of research ‘on’ or ‘about’ children to the active roles
of ‘with’ and ‘by’ children because embracing children’s perspectives
are key for understanding their needs and challenges. These active
roles have potential to generate new knowledge whilst addressing
ethical dilemmas. Therefore, involving children in research can lead
to improved teaching and learning processes.

Chapter 2, “From Traditional to Contemporary Conceptions of
Childhood,” discusses the evolution of conceptions of childhood from
traditional to contemporary perspectives, emphasising the shift
towards viewing children as capable social agents. The chapter
highlights the importance of listening to children and respecting
their rights. Pinter addresses the UN’s Conventions on the Rights of
the Child (UNCRC) (1989) which states the children’s rights to express
their views on matters that affect them - promoting active
participation and decision-making in research. Teachers and
researchers are encouraged to involve children in the research of
their language learning processes as a means of active engagement and
empowerment. Furthermore, insights gathered from children’s
perspectives should lead to meaningful changes in teaching practices
to ensure that research outcomes are facilitated to benefit the
children.

Chapter 3, “Voice, Agency, and Participation,” explores the concepts
of voice, agency, and participation in childhood studies through
emphasis on engaging children as active contributors to research. The
chapter discusses the evolution of these concepts from initial
idealistic interpretations to more critical approaches. The
significance of children’s involvement in decision-making is
highlighted by emphasising the benefits of improving quality
provision, increasing children’s sense of ownership, self-esteem, and
responsibility. Pinter also introduces Lundy’s model (2007), which
draws on creating a context that gives space and time for eliciting
children’s voices - promoting elements of space, voice, audience, and
influence. There are complexities, however, when it comes to
children’s voices and the importance of listening to children as well
as considering their silence. Further, to facilitate children’s
engagement in the research, Pinter suggests the use of tools such as
drawings and photos. The chapter also portrays examples of children
being positioned as co-researchers to showcase the impact of their
contributions on research outcomes.


Chapter 4, “Child-Centeredness and Democratic School Structures,”
delves into the concept of active participation of children in
research and educational settings. The chapter discusses the
translation of Childhood Studies concepts into research with/by
children and the educational philosophies that support institutional
structures enabling child participation. The implications of the
Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 2012) are addressed, as well
as the promotion of twenty-first century skills and the role of
democratic schools in fostering learner consultation. Ethical and
legal considerations are also highlighted in the extended framework,
along with the roles of stakeholders and local educational authorities
in supporting child participation in research.

Chapter 5, “Children’s Roles and Status in Applied Linguistics
Research,” contains several sections discussing different studies
related to research involving children in the field of second language
education. The studies introduced in the chapter cover a range of
topics, including group interviews, language maps, and the use of
online gaming in language learning. The studies mostly focus on
English as an L2, wherein vocabulary and literacy are the dominant
topics in the studies. However, it also covers a wide range of topics,
from emotional development to intercultural awareness, cognitive and
metacognitive skills, and positive attitudes to languages. The chapter
concludes by highlighting the importance of involving children in
research and giving them active roles, which can lead to more
meaningful feedback and insights.

Chapter 6, “Filling the Gap: What Kind of Research is Needed?,”
provides seventeen studies to show the possibilities of engaging
children in research. The studies show methods of eliciting children’s
views on important matters. For example, one method is utilising
Post-it notes or photos with statements and having children rank them
from most to least important; another is displaying photos taken by
children and arranged into categories to suit the content or intended
message. The chapter emphasises the importance of taking children’s
views seriously and feeding them into an action plan for change.

Chapter 7, “Ethical Issues and Dilemmas,” discusses the challenges
obtaining informed consent from children for research purposes. There
are difficulties in communicating complex information to children and
ensuring that they understand the purpose and potential risks of the
research. Pinter suggests that researchers need to carefully consider
how to explain their research to children and provide opportunities
for them to ask questions or raise concerns. Articles 12, 13, and 17
of the UNCRC (1989) are addressed in the chapter to state children’s
right to express, freedom of expression, and access to information.
Therefore, allowing children some time to decide on participation and
ask questions can be key in researching with children. A study in this
chapter also sheds light on sharing findings with children to ensure
transparency of research.

Chapter 8, “Towards Children’s Active Engagement in Applied
Linguistics Research,” is the concluding chapter of the book. It
summarises the main arguments of the book, such as the children’s
status and roles in research as well as the purpose of the research in
response to the challenges children face. Active participation is
encouraged as it may produce multiple benefits, such as developing
children's confidence, self-esteem, and transferable skills. Pinter
also emphasises the need to make children and adults aware of
children’s rights, thereby highlighting the importance of
acknowledging the UNCRC (1989). The chapter concludes with a call to
action for researchers to engage with children as partners in research
and to expand meaningful research in a novel direction.

EVALUATION

The first part of the book focuses on the importance of including and
working with children in applied linguistics research, while the
second part gives examples on how this may be done with ethical
considerations. Throughout the book, Pinter presents strong cases for
actively involving children in research and highlights the value of
children’s perspectives. However, it could have further explored the
importance of diverse voices and experiences also within the research
teams, in order to ensure a wider understanding of children’s needs
and realities. Further, Chapter 2 presents valuable insights into the
evolving conceptions of childhood and the importance of children’s
agency. As the UN’s Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) is
used as a key advocacy tool, Pinter does mention the undoubtedly
patchy implementations of child’s rights in a global context. I
couldn’t help but wonder what this means for research in countries
that do not recognise the rights of children.

Chapter 3 offers a balanced discussion of the challenges and benefits
of involving children in the decision-making process and research, as
well as highlighting the importance of creating a supportive context
of eliciting children’s voices. Pinter also carefully examines the
potential challenges of power dynamics that may occur with children’s
decision-making processes, and suggests ethical ways in which
researchers could equally distribute the power between themselves and
the children. However, considering the diverse cultural and
institutional context, a more in-depth exploration of how these
factors may impact children’s voice, agency, and participation would
have provided a more nuanced understanding.

Chapters 5 and 6 are interconnected in terms of utilising studies that
include child involvement in research. The studies in Chapter 5
implicate research ‘on’ or ‘about’ children, wherein children take
more passive roles in research. Pinter critiques these studies in a
respectful way and, in Chapter 6, suggests research ‘with’ and ‘by’
children through utilising exemplar studies. One potential weakness of
the studies introduced is that they still heavily rely on
adult-initiated questions or prompts, which may limit the scope of
children’s responses. While the studies acknowledge the importance of
children’s spontaneous thoughts and ideas to be expressed, there could
still be a risk that the questions may shape their responses in some
ways. Furthermore, the studies primarily focus on children in
school-based settings with a few exceptions to community-related
studies, which may not be representative of all of children’s
linguistic experiences.

Pinter recognises the importance of creating meaningful dialogue
between researchers and children in Chapter 7, suggesting that ethical
practice is tied to the active construction of research relationships
and cannot be based on presupposed ideas or stereotypes about
children. This approach is commendable as it recognises the importance
of understanding the perspectives of children and the need to avoid
adult biases upon their view. However, it does not discuss the
potential challenges or considerations when working with children who
have special educational needs or learning difficulties. While it is
briefly mentioned that these children can contribute with support from
those close to them, the book does not provide further ethical
strategies for including them in research. Hence, it misses out on a
chance to educate readers on defying presupposed ideas of what
children are capable of doing beyond merely the researcher’s judgment.

Overall, I believe that Pinter makes compelling points on why research
“with” and “by” children is needed. While I would have liked to see
this book written with a more diverse scope, Pinter concludes by
saying that the points made are merely just ideas rather than a way
forward for everyone. Though engaging children in research cannot be
done in all disciplines of research, it can surely be done — and bring
positive outcomes — for applied linguistics research.

REFERENCES

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2012). Self-determination theory. In P. A.
M. Van Lange, A. W. Kruglanski, & E. T. Higgins (eds), Handbook of
Theories of Social Psychology, vol. 1 (pp. 416–436). SAGE.
https://doi.org/10.4135/ 9781446249215.n21

Lundy, L. (2007). ‘Voice’ is not enough: Conceptualising Article 12 of
the United Nations convention on the rights of the child. British
Educational Research Journal, 33(6), 927–942.
https://doi.org/10.1080/01411920701657033

United Nations (1989). United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the
Child. United Nations.

ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Sophia Takasu (M.Ed.) is a PhD Candidate at Griffith University
Queensland, Australia. She is currently writing her thesis in the area
of early childhood education, language studies, and cultural
sustainability/responsiveness. Her thesis focuses on culturally
responsive Japanese language learning in early childhood settings in
Australia. As a multilingual/multicultural researcher, her other
research interests include decoloniality and education in the Pacific
Islands.



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