ABSTRACT
This concluding chapter summarizes the major methodological issues and challenges when conducing child second language development research as addressed in the chapters of the book. Unlike adults, children are still in the midst of development in various domains, and thus special attention to age-related issues are indispensable. This chapter identifies the common age-related issues addressed in each chapter. Such issues include cognitive and metacognitive issues (e.g., memory, attention, processing speed, metacognition, etc.), affective issues (e.g., anxiety and engagement), and linguistic and cultural issues (e.g., first language development, the choice of using a child’s first or second language, and hidden cultural assumptions). Age is often related to experiential factors (e.g., experience with participating in research and verbalizing thoughts, etc.). The chapter concludes by considering changes in the environment in which children learn, such as the advancement of technology and the diversification of child second language learners, and suggests methodological considerations and directions for future child second language acquisition research.
