The Bilingual Advantage in Thinking Critically: The Roles of Age of Onset and L2 Proficiency

Abstract

Abstract The bilingual advantage and its effect on executive function (EF) are among the major concerns of researchers in the field of bilingualism. Nevertheless, the bilingual effect on critical thinking has not yet received the attention it truly deserves. The present study aimed to investigate the bilingual effect on critical thinking disposition (CTD) and its relationship to age, age of onset (AoO), and L2 proficiency. An experimental design was adopted to study the impact of bilingualism on CTD. Correlational designs were then used to investigate the association between L2 proficiency and age of bilinguals with their CTD scores. The sample included 286 participants, consisting of 143 bilinguals, carefully matched with 143 monolinguals based on age and socioeconomic status. The bilinguals were then divided into two groups of early bilinguals (AoO = 10 years or less) and late bilinguals (AoO = 11 years or more). Their L2 proficiency and performance on the University of Florida Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory were measured and compared. The results indicate an advantage in CTD in favor of the bilinguals, with no significant difference between early and late bilinguals. A larger effect size was observed with an elevation in the age of the bilinguals. A positive association was found between L2 proficiency and the bilinguals’ CTD, with a weak correlation between education and CTD scores. The results are also compared with those of the bilingual effect on EF.