The Effect of Bilingualism on Social Anxiety in Adolescents
School Name
Spring Valley High School
Grade Level
10th Grade
Presentation Topic
Behavioral Science
Presentation Type
Non-Mentored
Abstract
Bilingualism, fluency in more than one language, has become more widespread as cultural diversity and globalization expands. It is not a widely-known or accepted fact but research has indicated that there may be negative effects of bilingualism. The purpose of the study was to determine if bilingualism has an effect on social anxiety in adolescents. It was hypothesized that bilinguals may be more likely to experience social anxiety because of their increased susceptibility to adverse emotions. Levels of social anxiety were determined by using the social interaction anxiety survey (SIAS). First, a human consent form was completed; the participant’s lingual status was selected before starting the actual questionnaire. For this study, conversational fluency in more than one language was the minimum criteria for a participant to be defined as bilingual. A chi-square and z-test were performed. Statistically significant results were found for both tests. The chi-square inferential test revealed that lingual status does have an effect on social anxiety in adolescents, X2(4, N=80)=9.6, p=9.49. The z-test found that there was a statistically significant difference between the two lingual group’s sample means (z=3.05, p=1.96, two-tailed). The results suggested that monolingual adolescents had a higher correlation with social anxiety than bilingual adolescents. By identifying which groups are at a higher risk for social anxiety, psychologists and educators can try to implement preventive measures and recommend external support if needed.
Recommended Citation
Divekar, Sanvi, "The Effect of Bilingualism on Social Anxiety in Adolescents" (2022). South Carolina Junior Academy of Science. 4.
https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/scjas/2022/all/4
Location
B&E 234
Start Date
4-2-2022 9:15 AM
Presentation Format
Oral and Written
Group Project
No
The Effect of Bilingualism on Social Anxiety in Adolescents
B&E 234
Bilingualism, fluency in more than one language, has become more widespread as cultural diversity and globalization expands. It is not a widely-known or accepted fact but research has indicated that there may be negative effects of bilingualism. The purpose of the study was to determine if bilingualism has an effect on social anxiety in adolescents. It was hypothesized that bilinguals may be more likely to experience social anxiety because of their increased susceptibility to adverse emotions. Levels of social anxiety were determined by using the social interaction anxiety survey (SIAS). First, a human consent form was completed; the participant’s lingual status was selected before starting the actual questionnaire. For this study, conversational fluency in more than one language was the minimum criteria for a participant to be defined as bilingual. A chi-square and z-test were performed. Statistically significant results were found for both tests. The chi-square inferential test revealed that lingual status does have an effect on social anxiety in adolescents, X2(4, N=80)=9.6, p=9.49. The z-test found that there was a statistically significant difference between the two lingual group’s sample means (z=3.05, p=1.96, two-tailed). The results suggested that monolingual adolescents had a higher correlation with social anxiety than bilingual adolescents. By identifying which groups are at a higher risk for social anxiety, psychologists and educators can try to implement preventive measures and recommend external support if needed.
