INVESTIGATING THE ADVANTAGES OF BILINGUALISM: MULTIDIMENSIONAL RESEARCH FINDINGS

  • Gusti Putu Rustika Dewi Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha
    (ID)
  • Putu Kerti Nitiasih Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha
    (ID)
  • Luh Putu Artini Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha
    (ID)
  • Ni Komang Arie Suwastini Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha
    (ID)
  • Novi Diah Haryanti UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta
    (ID)

Abstract

Bilingualism is a widely discussed phenomenon due to its rising trend in this globalization era. Many negative conclusions about bilingualism have been met with positive outcomes from recent studies. This study was library research aimed at exploring the advantages of bilingualism in terms of cognitive, socio-emotional, as well as academic and career advantages of bilingualism as proven by previous studies published in reputable international journals indexed by Scopus or WoS from 2015 to 2020. The critical review revealed that bilingualism provides cognitive, socio-emotional, academic and career advantages. In terms of cognitive advantages, bilingualism contributes to better executive functioning and working memory and delaying the cognitive aging disease. Socio-emotionally, bilingualism promotes self-confidence, empathy, friendliness, communicative skills, and a more open-minded attitude toward cultural differences, respect toward speakers of other languages. Academically, bilinguals show higher achievement, while career-wise, there is a high preference for companies to hire bilinguals and a high possibility of getting promotions. These conclusions imply that early exposure to bilingualism provides opportunities for children to develop their cognitive and socio-emotional better that contribute to their academic and career.

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Author Biography

Ni Komang Arie Suwastini, Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha
Ni Komang Arie Suwastini is a lecturer in English Language Education, Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha. She graduated from University of Indonesia for her Master and Doctoral in the Humanities, in 2009 and in 2015 respectively. She is currently doing research on local wisdom in Balinese folklores, representations of character educations in children’s literature, feminist deconstructions represented in children’s literature and their adaptations into feature films. She can be reached at [email protected] or [email protected]

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Published
2021-12-31
How to Cite
Dewi, G. P. R., Nitiasih, P. K., Artini, L. P., Suwastini, N. K. A., & Haryanti, N. D. (2021). INVESTIGATING THE ADVANTAGES OF BILINGUALISM: MULTIDIMENSIONAL RESEARCH FINDINGS. ETERNAL (English, Teaching, Learning, and Research Journal), 7(2), 423-441. https://doi.org/10.24252/Eternal.V72.2021.A13
Section
Volume 7, Number 02, December 2021
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