The Effects of Foreign Language Learning on Creativity

Abstract

The present study investigates the possible influence of foreign language learning on individuals' divergent thinking abilities. Unlike the large body of research devoted to unfolding the effect of bilingualism on cognitive functions, foreign language learning has gained little attention. This study aimed at bringing into attention the distinctive nature of foreign language learning which deserves a separate line of investigation. To this end, controlling age, gender, socioeconomic status, and previous learning experiences, the performance of advanced learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) and non-EFL learner monolinguals were compared on the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking. The findings revealed that learning English as a foreign language to an advanced level significantly enhances all four divergent thinking abilities, i.e., fluency, elaboration, originality and flexibility. Such enhancement can be attributed to specific cognitive practices that language learning brings, and the psychological consequences of being trained under a system different from school system.

EFL Teachers’ Creativity and Their Teaching's Effectiveness: A Structural Equation Modelling Approach

“…He argued that "Poetry gives students a creative way to construct and express their ideas, and it gives teachers a new way to listen" (p.789). In another study, Ghonsooly, Shoqi (2012) investigated the effect of foreign language learning on individuals' divergent thinking abilities. Their results showed that "learning English as a foreign language to an advanced level significantly enhances all four divergent thinking abilities, i.e., fluency, elaboration, originality and flexibility".…”

The Effect of English Language Learning on Creative Thinking Skills: A Mixed Methods Case Study

“…It has roots in the quantitative ex post facto research study that Sehic (2016) conducted and the research studies that Ghonsooly and Showqi (2012), Hajilou et al (2012), and Pishghadam et al (2011) conducted. The literature review revealed a significant body of research studies that investigated link(s) between the second language learning and cognitive skills and a very limited number of studies that investigated the relationships between English language learning and creative thinking skills.…”

“…Therefore, the purpose of this sequential explanatory mixed-methods case study is to investigate whether a group of seven newly arrived immigrants in the United States who were enrolled in ESL classes at a community college in the northeastern United States will have better posttest than pretest performance in the domains of fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration as measured using the Alternate Uses Test and to build on existing research studies on this topic (Ghonsooly & Showqi, 2012;Kharkhurin, 2010;Pishghadam et al, 2011;Sehic, 2016). HA1: ESL learners and monolingual individuals in this mixed-methods case study will score significantly differently in terms of fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration as measured with the Alternate Uses Test.…”

Creativity in gifted identification: increasing accuracy and diversity

“…Others have noted a strong tradition in African Americans of cognitive flexibility, imagination, and open‐mindedness . It is also worth noting that bilinguals have been shown to outperform monolinguals on creativity tasks . Indeed, a multilingual environment has been shown to increase perspective‐taking (which is related to openness to experience) in infants …”