Bilingualism

Abstract

There is an ever-growing “trend” of bilingualism, and bilingual individuals long ago outnumbered monolinguals, which has led to different discussions and debates. This paper studies the impact of bilingualism on the well-being and cognitive abilities of Kosovan adolescents. A sample of 200 Kosovan adolescents was assessed using the Language Experience and Proficiency Questionnaire (LEAP-Q), Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ), and The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS). Data were collected through the physical administration of questionnaires in schools. Of the 200 participants (age: 13-18), 82 (41%) were males and 118 were females (59%). The results confirm that bilinguals had better cognitive abilities, fewer cognitive failures, and better mental well-being. Moreover, the level of proficiency in the second language was positively correlated with mental well-being and negatively correlated with cognitive failures. Both of these relationships were statistically significant. Strengths, limitations, and future research directions are also discussed.