Does multilingualism facilitate phonological awareness when learning an unfamiliar additional language? A comparative study of monolingual versus multilingual students.

Details

Supervisors

Meunier, Fanny

Faculty

Faculté de philosophie, arts et lettres

Degree label

Master [120] en langues et lettres modernes, orientation germaniques, à finalité didactique

Abstract

enThis study aims to examine whether multilingual students demonstrate greater proficiency in phonological awareness compared to their monolingual peers. It also verifies their ability to mobilize phonological awareness to understand an unfamiliar language. Moreover, this dissertation investigates the potential impact of students’ field of study on linguistic skills by comparing students enrolled in language programs with students from other disciplines. Based on existing literature and the different hypotheses established, the following research question was formulated: Does multilingualism facilitate phonological awareness when learning an unfamiliar additional language? In order to collect empirical data, three bachelor-level classes at UCLouvain were investigated. The same Wooclap questionnaire was shared among the three groups. Once the data had been collected, the participants were divided into three categories that would be later compared: monolingual students, multilingual students studying languages, and multilingual students studying other subjects. The results revealed no significant differences between groups. Overall, students obtained quite similar results across the various tasks. Although some groups occasionally showed a slight advantage in certain exercises, no systematic advantage could be systematized for other tasks. The absence of a marked advantage suggests that the belief that multilingualism necessarily facilitates the comprehension and acquisition of a new language must be nuanced. Indeed, the findings highlight the influence of other factors that must be taken into account, such as task type, for example. However, the limitations of this study must also be considered. The small sample size, the absence of strictly monolingual students, or the exclusive focus on receptive skills restricts the scope of the conclusions. Consequently, future research could be conducted to obtain more precise results and allow a more reliable generalization of the observations.