Page 219 - Ana Kozina and Nora Wiium, eds. ▪︎ Positive Youth Development in Contexts. Ljubljana: Educational Research Institute, 2021. Digital Library, Dissertationes (Scientific Monographs), 42.
P. 219
mobilising the potential held by one’s entire linguistic repertoire ...
truly bring about the multilingual paradigm shift in the school environ-
ment. On the individual level, this shift unequivocally and explicitly de-
fines the individual’s entire language repertoire as an asset with cognitive,
emotional, and personality development benefits. On the level of society,
the shift regulates the school environment and pedagogical process by rec-
ognising this asset and ensuring an equal position for all languages as re-
sources in the pedagogical process.
Results from interdisciplinary research combining social psychology
and applied linguistics show that bi-/multilingualism does not affect intel-
ligence but positively affects the metalinguistic awareness and cognitive de-
velopment of children (Barac & Bialystock, 2011) and holds advantages by
way of creative behaviour and divergent thinking (Kharkhurin, 2008, 2010).
These studies also show that, compared to monolinguals, bi-/multilingual
teenagers and adults typically score higher for openness/open-minded-
ness, cognitive and cultural empathy, social initiative, suffer less from for-
eign-language anxiety, and see themselves as generally more competent
in communication (Dewaele & Oudenhoven, 2009; Dewaele & Wei 2012).
This supports the perspective that multilingualism is a complex multi-com-
petence, which qualitatively differs from the competence of monolingual
speakers and affects the shaping of personality (Cook 1992, Dewaele, 2016).
On the societal level, this perspective offers a view of multilingualism not
only as a phenomenon inextricably connected to one’s identity but is a sig-
nificant aspect in different social contexts. Such contexts range from con-
struction and negotiation of identity through language in different social
interactions to the various issues related to acknowledging the diverse mul-
tilingual and multicultural background of multilinguals in different micro
contexts like education, professional and private life, and active citizenship.
It is important to mention a developing interdisciplinary research per-
spective in multilingualism that connects applied linguistics with positive
psychology. In a 2014 article, Mercer and MacIntyre introduced the field
of positive psychology (PP) and the implications it holds for research into
the practical, human and social dimensions of language learning, notably
of second language acquisition (SLA). The general idea of PP that it is vi-
tal to study how people thrive and flourish as well as how to increase their
(character) strengths and virtues becomes relevant when these elements
are studied in the context of institutions, such as classrooms, schools, and
language policies that explicitly enable the expression and development of
strengths (Mercer & MacIntyre, 2014). This new holistic view of foreign
219
truly bring about the multilingual paradigm shift in the school environ-
ment. On the individual level, this shift unequivocally and explicitly de-
fines the individual’s entire language repertoire as an asset with cognitive,
emotional, and personality development benefits. On the level of society,
the shift regulates the school environment and pedagogical process by rec-
ognising this asset and ensuring an equal position for all languages as re-
sources in the pedagogical process.
Results from interdisciplinary research combining social psychology
and applied linguistics show that bi-/multilingualism does not affect intel-
ligence but positively affects the metalinguistic awareness and cognitive de-
velopment of children (Barac & Bialystock, 2011) and holds advantages by
way of creative behaviour and divergent thinking (Kharkhurin, 2008, 2010).
These studies also show that, compared to monolinguals, bi-/multilingual
teenagers and adults typically score higher for openness/open-minded-
ness, cognitive and cultural empathy, social initiative, suffer less from for-
eign-language anxiety, and see themselves as generally more competent
in communication (Dewaele & Oudenhoven, 2009; Dewaele & Wei 2012).
This supports the perspective that multilingualism is a complex multi-com-
petence, which qualitatively differs from the competence of monolingual
speakers and affects the shaping of personality (Cook 1992, Dewaele, 2016).
On the societal level, this perspective offers a view of multilingualism not
only as a phenomenon inextricably connected to one’s identity but is a sig-
nificant aspect in different social contexts. Such contexts range from con-
struction and negotiation of identity through language in different social
interactions to the various issues related to acknowledging the diverse mul-
tilingual and multicultural background of multilinguals in different micro
contexts like education, professional and private life, and active citizenship.
It is important to mention a developing interdisciplinary research per-
spective in multilingualism that connects applied linguistics with positive
psychology. In a 2014 article, Mercer and MacIntyre introduced the field
of positive psychology (PP) and the implications it holds for research into
the practical, human and social dimensions of language learning, notably
of second language acquisition (SLA). The general idea of PP that it is vi-
tal to study how people thrive and flourish as well as how to increase their
(character) strengths and virtues becomes relevant when these elements
are studied in the context of institutions, such as classrooms, schools, and
language policies that explicitly enable the expression and development of
strengths (Mercer & MacIntyre, 2014). This new holistic view of foreign
219
