ABSTRACT
Recent decades have seen growing international enthusiasm for the concept and practice of “child voice.” This was encapsulated in and stimulated by Article 12 of the 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which demands that the child’s right should be heard. By unfolding the concept of a child’s language–based agency, the chapter addresses several critical questions, such as, What does a child’s language-based agency in ELE mean? What can we learn from doing research with children as agents in the process of language learning? How can we approach young children in order to explore their beliefs about languages and their learning?
Furthermore, the chapter explores the notion of a child’s language-based agency through the prism of agentic behavior, language learning strategies and personal traits. This will be illustrated by drawing on two cases of Adi and Rima. Finally, the chapter discusses how peer interaction provides opportunities to exercise novel language use through reciprocal exchanges and to shape agency.
