ABSTRACT
This chapter provides important precautions on how to create a questionnaire and design survey research with young learners of a new language. The chapter targets children from ages 4 to 12 who are undergoing a stage of rapid cognitive development. Understanding how cognitive development affects item creation is crucial for obtaining good quality data. Thus, the chapter reviews normal developmental stages, the mental processing of question-response, and a list of precautions to account for children’s stages of cognitive development when creating a questionnaire. It further describes the importance of cultural influences on language and wording in item creation, with specific procedures designed to mitigate problems when translating across languages and cultures. We also include step-by-step practical suggestions on how to design a successful survey project, providing assistance to readers (researchers) new to the field, as well as advice for experienced researchers on how to improve already working research instruments. Suggestions include constructing valid research questions, useful instrumentation methods, means for including other important stakeholders, and ways to make survey research more inclusive for children.
