The Longitudinal Effect of Bilingual Immersion Schooling on Cognitive Control and Intelligence*

Abstract

Throughout the past century, the effects of bilingualism on general cognition have been extensively explored. Studies evolved from a negative to a more positive perspective, but longitudinal assessments of effects of bilingualism are scarce. This study investigated the long‐term effect of becoming a bilingual on the development of general intelligence and cognitive control. We followed 27 five‐year‐old children initiating bilingual kindergarten and 27 age‐matched controls enrolled in monolingual kindergarten. The two groups were similar with regard to socioeconomic status. At baseline, both groups spoke only French and performed equally on measures of intelligence, cognitive control, and verbal fluency. One year later, all children were tested again. Results revealed that, after 1 year, both groups improved similarly on verbal fluency and cognitive control. However, only children attending bilingual kindergarten improved significantly on intelligence, indicating that cognitive practice gained from acquiring a second language may improve general cognitive abilities assessed by intelligence tests, outside the verbal domain.

Executive control performance and foreign-language proficiency associated with immersion education in French-speaking Belgium

“…Relatedly, the group differences in SES are likely the consequence of a self-selection bias in the sense that, in Belgium, although a priori open to anyone, immersion education is known to be particularly attractive to a socially more privileged public. Whereas Woumans et al (2016) observed a clear advantage in nonverbal intelligence for immersed children, we found a similar advantage, which in our study however disappeared after controlling for differences in SES. This points towards a need for longitudinal studies on immersion education, which are less sensitive to baseline differences in potentially confounding background variables.…”

“…Bialystok and Barac (2012), however, observed a positive relationship between the duration of immersion education and executive control. Woumans et al (2016) showed that after one year of immersion education, there was no advantage on a Simon task for 5-year-old immersed children, although there was an advantage for the immersed group on nonverbal intelligence. Nicolay and Poncelet (2013, 2015) compared executive control abilities of 8-year-old children immersed for three years with those of monolinguals.…”

“…An advantage of immersion education was found in attentional abilities, but not in inhibitory control (Nicolay & Poncelet, 2013, 2015). A recent longitudinal study of Woumans, Surmont, Struys and Duyck (2016), comparing 5-year-old French-speaking children immersed in Dutch with matched monolinguals, showed that one year of immersion education does not improve inhibitory control. However, the immersed children in Woumans et al (2016) outperformed the monolingual group on nonverbal intelligence, suggesting an advantage in cognitive functioning.…”

“…A recent longitudinal study of Woumans, Surmont, Struys and Duyck (2016), comparing 5-year-old French-speaking children immersed in Dutch with matched monolinguals, showed that one year of immersion education does not improve inhibitory control. However, the immersed children in Woumans et al (2016) outperformed the monolingual group on nonverbal intelligence, suggesting an advantage in cognitive functioning. Altogether, the evidence regarding an executive control advantage emerging from immersion education is thus inconclusive.…”

Bilingualism, Demographics, and Cognitive Control: A Within-Group Approach

“…In Xie and Pisano (2019), intelligence was reported a significant predictor of congruent trials in the flanker task. In Woumans et al (2016), a longitudinal study was carried out to examine whether immersion bilingual schooling could improve cognitive control. Their results found that the children attending bilingual kindergarten improved not only in cognitive control but also in intelligence.…”