Dr. Kathleen McCarthy

Kathleen McCarthy is a Reader in Child Language Acquisition and Director of the Language Acquisition Lab at Queen Mary University of London. Her research programme focuses on how children’s social, linguistic and educational environments shape language and literacy development and educational outcomes. A key aim of this work is to understand and address inequalities in children’s development and learning. 

She uses longitudinal, behavioural and neurophysiological methods to study development from infancy through childhood, particularly in diverse urban communities. Her research team works across multilingual and heritage language development, early language and literacy, and the ways in which children acquire and shape emerging speech varieties. She is particularly interested in how variation in children’s experiences influences developmental trajectories. 

Kathleen is a qualified Speech and Language Therapist, and her clinical training informs her work on improving educational and clinical approaches for children from diverse backgrounds. Co-creation is central to her research programme: she works closely with families, schools, local government and community organisations in East London to shape research priorities and methods, and to translate findings into practical resources, policy and practice.