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Article published In:
Language Teaching for Young Learners
Vol. 4:1 (2022) ► pp.4–29
Survey article

Child-centred ethics in second language education

Navigating the ‘ethical maze’ when working with child participants in research

 | University of Warwick
This article aims to provide an overview of the types of questions and concerns adult researchers working with children in L2 education need to consider when it comes to navigating research ethics. Questions and dilemmas relating to ethical practice in child-focussed research are complex, and will be rooted in political, legal and contextual concerns, and interpretations of what is ethical in any one project will depend on the adult researcher’s convictions about research paradigms, their epistemological stance and their beliefs and priorities in the given situation. This article suggests five main questions to consider when it comes to research with children. All five components are equally important and decisions relating to one component will influence all others in the framework. This paper examines the complexities in more detail, discusses some differences relevant in the two main ‘paradigms’ of child-focussed research and how these principles interact with the constraints and the affordances of the local contexts, the focus of the intended study and the background and personal theories of the adult researcher.
Keywords: research ethics, school-based research, ethical dilemmas, conceptions of childhood, child-centred research
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction: Why this topic now?
  • 2.Origins of child-focussed ethics
  • 3.Two different paradigms to view children in research
    • 3.1The traditional paradigm
    • 3.2The alternative paradigm
  • 4.Ethics decisions relating to the two paradigms
    • 4.1The traditional paradigm
    • 4.2The alternative paradigm
  • 5.School-based research and the paradigms
  • 6.Bringing it together: The five components of child-focussed ethics
    • 6.1Legislation
    • 6.2Children’s role and status
    • 6.3The context
    • 6.4The adult researcher
    • 6.5Types of studies
  • 7.Conclusion
  • References
Published online: 17 January 2022
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https://doi.org/10.1075/ltyl.21019.pin
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