6 - Filling the Gap: What Kind of Research Is Needed?

Summary

Chapter 6 addresses the gap identified in the previous chapters and asks the following question: based on the previous chapters and the overview of the field, what kind of research is needed now in applied linguistics? Seventeen studies are used to showcase children’s roles that illustrate varying degrees of active participation. Studies in the three main categories identified in Chapter 3 are included. Building on examples taken from other disciplines, such as climate change education, health care, geography or social work, tools and approaches are introduced with a commentary about how these ideas might be incorporated or further built on when addressing research in child second language classrooms and beyond. The chapter offers ideas and raises awareness among researchers about the variety of opportunities to incorporate the new extended framework when working with children in applied linguistics.