When sociologists put children to the test
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5212/PraxEduc.v.20.25581.082Abstract
This article aims to question the different ways of testing children implemented by research methodologies in the Social Sciences, in order to account for their life experiences. Firstly, we highlight the symbolic violence that children may face – especially those from highly vulnerable families – when their linguistic skills are assessed, as in the research on social inequalities among young children presented in Enfances de classe, coordinated by Bernard Lahire. Secondly, by revisiting the data published in this work, regarding the interactions between researcher—adult—and subject—child, we show how children’s resistance to assessment largely relies on their bodies, including their vulnerabilities, when linguistic resources do not allow them to have the final say against the researchers. Finally, we point out other methodological devices that can be used to enable children’s expression and to take their viewpoints seriously. Such devices seek to open possibilities beyond adult-centered norms and expectations, while also requiring that children’s voices be related to their social conditions of production.
Keywords: Young children. Sociology. Inequalities. Tests. Resistance. Body. Language.
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