Multilingualism educational attainment and cognitive development in UK adolescents

Abstract

Evidence for educational or cognitive advantages in multilinguals is mixed and may reflect socioeconomic or cultural confounds. Using 1673 UK adolescents from the SCAMP cohort, we examined educational attainment at ages 11 and 16 and change in cognitive control between these time points, comparing simultaneous multilinguals, children learning English as a second language, and monolinguals while adjusting for relevant covariates. Simultaneous multilinguals showed a small but reliable attainment advantage over monolinguals at both ages, whereas cognitive differences appeared only in cross-sectional analyses. Children learning English as a second language showed lower attainment at 11, steeper gains, and higher attainment by 16, with no evidence of cognitive differences. Mediation analyses indicated that attainment advantages were largely independent of cognitive measures, suggesting that educational outcomes and cognitive differences should be decoupled. These findings inform policy discussions on multilingual education.

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