Borges, Raiane and Lyddy, Fiona
(2024)
Language affects endorsement of misconceptions about bilingualism.
International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 27 (2).
pp. 230-239.
ISSN 1367-0050
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Bilingualism is associated with a number of false beliefs, myths and
misconceptions, which carry implications for bilingual education and
policymaking. While the language used, often in the media, to express
such misconceptions may have become more subtle, a negative bias
remains and is arguably more difficult to detect and defend against.
The current study examined the endorsement of common
misconceptions by bilingual and monolingual participants as a function
of the phrasing used to construct the misconception statements.
Participants (N = 103; 47% bilingual) completed an online survey
comprising common misconceptions about bilingualism as well as filler
items, rating their agreement with the statements using a 7-point
Likert-type scale. The phrasing of the misconceptions was varied such
that participants read either a strongly worded or weakly worded
version of the statements. The results showed that participants gave
higher ratings of the statements in the weakly worded condition. While
overall the average endorsement of the misconceptions was low, 82%
of participants agreed with at least one misconception and 29% agreed
with half the statements or more. There was no significant difference
between monolinguals’ and bilinguals’ ratings. The findings suggest
that misconceptions about bilingualism remain prevalent and are
readily detectable when worded ambiguously.
| Item Type: |
Article
|
| Keywords: |
Bilingualism;
multilingualism;
misconceptions; education;
neuromyths; identity; |
| Academic Unit: |
Faculty of Science and Engineering > Psychology |
| Item ID: |
18723 |
| Identification Number: |
https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2022.2164478 |
| Depositing User: |
Fiona Lyddy
|
| Date Deposited: |
11 Jul 2024 09:21 |
| Journal or Publication Title: |
International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism |
| Publisher: |
Routledge |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| URI: |
|
| Use Licence: |
This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available
here |
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