My research interests include second/ foreign language acquisition and learning for children of all ages. I am interested in language learning processes in both formal and informal contexts, task-based learning and developing language learning materials for children. I am also interested in inclusive, participatory research with children which includes working with children as active co-researchers. My other related area of interest is language teacher development and professional growth.

I trained as an English language teacher in Budapest and worked in Hungary for a number of years in a variety of contexts, including state schools, International House (IH) language schools and a teacher training college. I completed my Masters and my PhD in ELT/Applied Linguistics at Warwick and since 2000 I have been working at Warwick, teaching on the MA TESOL prohgramme and supervising doctoral students. I have worked with language teachers from a range of different countries including Japan, Thailand, Turkey, South Korea, Sweden, Poland, Russia and India and have had various leadership roles within the Department of Applied Linguistics. Currently I am Head of Department. I have a strong international reputation in TEYL and second language teacher education. I am the the author of Teaching Young Language Learners Oxford Handbooks for Language Teachers, Oxford University Press (second edition, 2017), Children Learning Second Languages, Palgrave Macmillan (2011), Engaging Children In Applied Linguistics Research, Cambridge University Press (2024). I am also currently joint series editor of Early Language Learning in School Contexts by Multilingual Matters.