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.

Location

B&E 234

Start Date

4-2-2022 9:15 AM

Presentation Format

Oral and Written

Group Project

No

COinS
 
Apr 2nd, 9:15 AM

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.