Naming Research Participants in Qualitative Language Learning Research: Numbers, Pseudonyms, or Real Names?

Abstract

This review article examines how researchers name their study participants and how these naming practices reflect their application of the ethical principles of anonymity and confidentiality in qualitative research on language learners. To identify the variety of naming practices in use, we reviewed 181 journal articles that reported on qualitative research on language learners in the context of higher education. Our review identified the use of names based on learners’ ethnolinguistic backgrounds other than English and the use of English names as the most frequent naming practices. The use of “Letter + Number” or “Title + Number” is also a popular naming practice. Our analysis further revealed that most of the articles (174/181) did not provide justification for their naming practices. Reflecting on the findings, we contend that researchers should give the choice to participants, allowing space for them to negotiate the way they wish their identities to be represented in research publications. Therefore, this review concludes with a call on language learning researchers to engage participants more fully in the research process and to pay sufficient attention to micro-ethical issues such as naming.