Periodic Reporting for period 2 - MultiMind (The Multilingual Mind)
Reporting period: 2020-04-01 to 2022-12-31
Europe has been a melting pot throughout history, resulting from constant waves of migration. More recent waves of migration have led to the establishment of many multilingual communities across the continent. However, most national administration systems in Europe have not been designed with multilingual citizens in mind but operate within a monolingual mode (monolingual habitus) and ignore that a large number of citizens in Europe can communicate in several languages and the benefits and challenges that this diversity brings. Understanding the benefits and challenges of being multilingual is crucial for the education, wellbeing, and employment of all citizens in Europe, it can help the integration of new migrants and refugees and the prospects of European countries.
MultiMind addressed societal challenges and opportunities within the education and health sectors through an innovative research programme that combined fundamental and applied research across disciplines in a range of different social and educational settings. It investigated the influence of multilingualism on language learning, cognition, creativity, and decision making, on brain function and structure, and its role as a reserve in atypical populations using a combination of cutting-edge research methodologies. At the same time, it aimed at training a new generation of researchers in world-leading labs using cutting edge methodologies and allowing them to build the necessary background and skills fostering their career progress as independent researchers in academic or non- academic sectors, in an international, multidisciplinary, and multisectorial program on multilingualism.
Multi-Mind adopted a multi-disciplinary perspective with the following five main scientific objectives:
1. to understand the relationship between language learning, cognition, and creativity. MultiMind will investigate the role of environmental, language architecture, and domain general factors on language learning, cognition, and creativity. The outcomes have important implications for language teaching and educational policies.
2. to determine how the properties of the language and orthographic systems affect the way multilingual and multiliterate people process language using behavioural and neuroscience methods. The outcomes have important implications for teaching practices across European countries.
3. to understand the cognitive mechanisms underpinning social cognition, the role of language as a social group marker, how language use affects decision making, and the manifestation of stereotypes. The outcomes have important implications for challenges on migration in Europe.
4. to understand the impact of multilingualism in children with language impairment using behavioural and neuroimaging methodologies and to develop computerised tasks for screening language impairment and dyslexia in multilingual children. The outcomes have important economic and non-economic implications for health and education services across Europe.
5. to address the efficacy of teaching methods and educational activities promoting language and literacy in pre-schools and schools for migrants/refugees, and to identify good practice that meets the needs of students with a migrant/refugee background. The outcomes have crucial implications for the education of migrants/refugees in Europe and for their integration.
The project generated novel findings (see below) that address all five objectives and have important societal implications that were articulated in the five policy reports generated and the book ‘Myths and facts about multilingualism’ (see below).
MultiMind addressed societal challenges and opportunities within the education and health sectors through an innovative research programme that combined fundamental and applied research across disciplines in a range of different social and educational settings. It investigated the influence of multilingualism on language learning, cognition, creativity, and decision making, on brain function and structure, and its role as a reserve in atypical populations using a combination of cutting-edge research methodologies. At the same time, it aimed at training a new generation of researchers in world-leading labs using cutting edge methodologies and allowing them to build the necessary background and skills fostering their career progress as independent researchers in academic or non- academic sectors, in an international, multidisciplinary, and multisectorial program on multilingualism.
Multi-Mind adopted a multi-disciplinary perspective with the following five main scientific objectives:
1. to understand the relationship between language learning, cognition, and creativity. MultiMind will investigate the role of environmental, language architecture, and domain general factors on language learning, cognition, and creativity. The outcomes have important implications for language teaching and educational policies.
2. to determine how the properties of the language and orthographic systems affect the way multilingual and multiliterate people process language using behavioural and neuroscience methods. The outcomes have important implications for teaching practices across European countries.
3. to understand the cognitive mechanisms underpinning social cognition, the role of language as a social group marker, how language use affects decision making, and the manifestation of stereotypes. The outcomes have important implications for challenges on migration in Europe.
4. to understand the impact of multilingualism in children with language impairment using behavioural and neuroimaging methodologies and to develop computerised tasks for screening language impairment and dyslexia in multilingual children. The outcomes have important economic and non-economic implications for health and education services across Europe.
5. to address the efficacy of teaching methods and educational activities promoting language and literacy in pre-schools and schools for migrants/refugees, and to identify good practice that meets the needs of students with a migrant/refugee background. The outcomes have crucial implications for the education of migrants/refugees in Europe and for their integration.
The project generated novel findings (see below) that address all five objectives and have important societal implications that were articulated in the five policy reports generated and the book ‘Myths and facts about multilingualism’ (see below).
- All Early Stage Researchers received multi-disciplinary training on multilingualism that enabled them to develop academic and research skills. In addition, they gained generic research skills, e.g. project management and data analysis using R, and dissemination and communication skills, e.g. presenting research findings to academic and non-academic audiences, writing up academic and non-academic papers, and policy reports. These enabled them to continue with academic as well as non-academic careers.
- The results showed that multilinguals’ life experiences, code-switching, and literacy experiences impact language learning, cognitive abilities, and creativity and drive and shape neural adaptations. Engagement in bilingual language use was shown to trigger region-specific grey matter increases, either sustained or followed by volumetric decreases, depending on the quantity and quality of bilingual experiences. This provides evidence for a dynamic process of subcortical restructuring.
- Heritage speakers acquire and process language qualitatively similarly to homeland native speakers. There were effects of cross-linguistic influence at both the behavioural and neural level, suggesting that all languages are co-activated and there is competition between languages. As a result, processing may be slower compared to monolinguals. Similarity between the languages leads to a processing advantage. Effects of multilingualism were also found in biases. Multilinguals reported higher cognitive flexibility than monolinguals, and higher cognitive flexibility was associated with less explicit bias in individuals with low internal motivation to respond without prejudice.
- Multilingual learners’ repertoires, experiences, and motivations are often excluded from the classroom. Using a second language as the only medium of instruction was shown to be detrimental to literacy development and learning outcomes in children. Research on the education of individuals with a refugee background showed that flashcards and pantomime are effective methods for vocabulary learning and running dictation may lead to positive gains in grammar learning.
- Psychology interventions seem to be effective in both a foreign as well as the native language in non-clinical populations with intermediate/high level proficiency in a foreign language. More research with clinical populations is necessary to address the foreign language effect in psychotherapy.
- Multilingualism does not lead to language impairment or dyslexia. Language-dependent measures, including sentence repetition, nonword repetition, phonological awareness and clitic production, and language-independent measures, including rhythmic motor production, are indicative of disorder in monolingual and multilingual children. The MuLiMi computerised screening platform, developed as part of MultiMind, was shown to meet the requirements concerning multilingual language and reading assessment, allowing for the comparison of both languages as well as conscious decision-making for diagnosis and intervention needs in children at risk for Developmental Language Disorder and Dyslexia.
- The results showed that multilinguals’ life experiences, code-switching, and literacy experiences impact language learning, cognitive abilities, and creativity and drive and shape neural adaptations. Engagement in bilingual language use was shown to trigger region-specific grey matter increases, either sustained or followed by volumetric decreases, depending on the quantity and quality of bilingual experiences. This provides evidence for a dynamic process of subcortical restructuring.
- Heritage speakers acquire and process language qualitatively similarly to homeland native speakers. There were effects of cross-linguistic influence at both the behavioural and neural level, suggesting that all languages are co-activated and there is competition between languages. As a result, processing may be slower compared to monolinguals. Similarity between the languages leads to a processing advantage. Effects of multilingualism were also found in biases. Multilinguals reported higher cognitive flexibility than monolinguals, and higher cognitive flexibility was associated with less explicit bias in individuals with low internal motivation to respond without prejudice.
- Multilingual learners’ repertoires, experiences, and motivations are often excluded from the classroom. Using a second language as the only medium of instruction was shown to be detrimental to literacy development and learning outcomes in children. Research on the education of individuals with a refugee background showed that flashcards and pantomime are effective methods for vocabulary learning and running dictation may lead to positive gains in grammar learning.
- Psychology interventions seem to be effective in both a foreign as well as the native language in non-clinical populations with intermediate/high level proficiency in a foreign language. More research with clinical populations is necessary to address the foreign language effect in psychotherapy.
- Multilingualism does not lead to language impairment or dyslexia. Language-dependent measures, including sentence repetition, nonword repetition, phonological awareness and clitic production, and language-independent measures, including rhythmic motor production, are indicative of disorder in monolingual and multilingual children. The MuLiMi computerised screening platform, developed as part of MultiMind, was shown to meet the requirements concerning multilingual language and reading assessment, allowing for the comparison of both languages as well as conscious decision-making for diagnosis and intervention needs in children at risk for Developmental Language Disorder and Dyslexia.
The wider societal implications have been presented at the five policy reports (see below) and the book ‘Myths and facts about multilingualism’ that will appear in the autumn 2023 with CALEC publishing:
“How to improve assessment and treatment of multilingual children with language and reading disorders”
“The foreign language effect in psychotherapy”
“Does multilingualism bring benefits? What do teachers think about multilingualism?”
“How to support language and literacy development in heritage majority and foreign language classrooms?”
“Multilingualism in migration settings: Children and adult learners in formal education”
“How to improve assessment and treatment of multilingual children with language and reading disorders”
“The foreign language effect in psychotherapy”
“Does multilingualism bring benefits? What do teachers think about multilingualism?”
“How to support language and literacy development in heritage majority and foreign language classrooms?”
“Multilingualism in migration settings: Children and adult learners in formal education”