The Influence of Bilingualism on Personality: Psychological and Pedagogical Studies of Foreign Scientists

Abstract

Since the first half of the 20th century, the question of whether bilingualism affects the individual has become a topic of major scientific research. The purpose of this article is to show the directions of research on this problem. In answering this question, the studies were divided into two main periods: positive and negative attitudes towards bilingualism. The authors conducted a meta-analysis of published studies on the impact of bilingualism on personal development: at the first stage of the analysis, they reviewed the abstracts of conferences on this topic for the period from the second half of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century, and at the second stage, they determined which of these studies were subsequently published. Preferably, studies with the results that fully support the theory of bilingual advantage were published. The practical significance of this work consists in the fact that it presents modern research by foreign scientists on bilingualism. The reasons for two contradictory views of researchers on the problem of bilingualism are analyzed. In the future, the article can help build modern ideas about bilingualism and bilingual personality.