Cognitive Benefits of Being Bilingualism in Childhood

Bilingualism has become more common in today's globalized world, with numerous childrengrowing up being proficient and exposed to multiple languages. The advantages of being bilingualduring childhood have attracted considerable attention from educators, policymakers, andresearchers alike. Knowing how bilingualism affects cognitive development in the early stages oflife is both academically fascinating and practically important for child development practices andeducation. Studies indicate that bilingualism can have a significant impact on different cognitivefunctions, including attention control, working memory, executive functioning, and cognitiveflexibility. Bilingual children are continuously engaging their brains in linguistic switching andinhibition processes by navigating between two languages, which could lead to better cognitiveabilities in non-verbal domains. Although bilingualism is recognized to have cognitive benefits,further investigation, and empirical evidence are necessary to better understand the specificmechanisms behind these advantages. This qualitative research aims to contribute to this area ofstudy by examining how bilingualism enhances cognition during childhood, specifically amongchildren (bilingual and monolingual) between the ages of ۵ and ۱۰ years. Data was collected byconducting interviews and naturalistic observations from teachers, parents, and students. Byrecognizing the cognitive benefits that bilingualism affords young minds, we can create moreeffective learning environments and interventions that leverage the potential of linguistic diversityfor enhancing cognitive abilities and promoting the overall development of children.

کلیدواژه ها:

Bilingualism ، cognitive benefits