The significance of multilingual children's voices in research

Abstract

This paper discussesethical and methodological aspects of research among multilingual children regarding the inclusion of theirvoices. The starting point ofthispaper is a field of tension concerning multilingual children’s participation in research. On the one hand, children have the right to protection, while onthe other,theyhave the right to be heard and should be studied by virtue of being children. The empirical data for our paper weregenerated through two qualitative ethnographic research projectsundertakenin one Norwegian kindergarten.Throughout our fieldwork, we had various encounters with children, teachers,and parentswhonegotiated and contestedthe kindergarten’sandour own discourses on multilingualism and specifically categorizations of who isor is notregarded as multilingual. Based on the dialogic concept of voice, discussions on children’s perspectivesas an analytical construct,and the positioning of children in research, weexplorethe waysinwhich our positionality asethnographicresearchers providesopportunities to include children’s voices. Furthermore, wediscuss thechallenges the researchermight encounterwhen establishing legitimate positions between the three groups—children, teachers,and parents—and the aspects of power involved.