The Effect of Bilingualism on Writing Ability

Victoria Hinesly

Victoria Hinesly University of Texas of the Permian Basin

Abstract

The goal of this study is to determine whether or not individuals who identify as bilingual have more advanced writing skills than individuals of the same educational level who identify as monolingual. The importance of this study lies in the realm of education; our cities are becoming increasingly globalized, which means that teachers must meet more linguistic needs than ever before. The results of this study and others like it can help determine which method of teaching (subtractive or additive bilingualism) is most beneficial to students learning multiple languages, and to students who only know one language. In order to determine what effect, if any, bilingualism has on writing ability, bilingual and monolingual junior- and senior-level university students (n = 4) submitted academic writing samples that are assessed via both a rubric and a holistic reading by a third-party grader. The rubric results are then compared, and a relationship is determined between “writing ability” based on the rubric, and the language classification of the participants.

Author Biography

Victoria Hinesly, University of Texas of the Permian Basin

Victoria Hinesly graduated in May of 2019 from the University of Texas of the Permian Basin with a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She will begin a master’s degree in experimental psychology in the fall of 2019, and hopes to go on to receive a doctoral degree in social psychology and purse professorship after completion of the master’s program. Broadly, she is passionate about diversity and equality in both realms of English and Psychology.