A Review of the Cognitive and Social-Emotional Correlates of Multilingualism: Implications for Multi-Language Learning Motivation

Abstract

Extensive studies have documented cognitive and social-emotional benefits associated with bilingualism. However, past research has considered the cognitive and social-emotional benefits of being bilingual separately, despite research suggesting the convergence of these two domains. This tendency persists even for research that decenters English acquisition and focuses more broadly on benefits associated with multi-language learning (MLL). Furthermore, extant theoretical frameworks that address MLL motivation have generally failed to consider the cognitive and social-emotional benefits as motivators for pursuing MLL. Therefore, the present review synthesizes the cognitive and social-emotional benefits associated with multilingualism with the goal of making suggestions for expounding upon MLL frameworks to reflect a broader range of motivations. We suggest that motivation frameworks consider the cognitive and social-emotional gains associated with multilingualism. In doing so, frameworks have the potential to help us better understand caregivers’ and learners’ key impetuses in pursuing MLL.