Resumen de Bilingualism in the family and child well-being: A scoping review

Lisa Maria Müller, Katie Howard, Elspeth Wilson, Jenny Gibson, Napoleon Katsos

• Bilingualism in the family and child well-being: A scoping review Show all authors Lisa-Maria Müller, Katie Howard, Elspeth Wilson, ...

  First Published June 12, 2020 Research Article https://doi.org/10.1177/1367006920920939 Article information SAGE ChoiceOpen AccessCreative Commons Attribution 4.0 License Abstract Aims and objectives:

  The aim of this scoping review is to investigate the association between bilingualism in the family and child subjective well-being, by reviewing the literature to identify key themes to date and remaining questions for future research.

  Methodology:

  Scopus, Web of Knowledge, ERIC, Psych Articles and PsychInfo were searched systematically between September and October 2018, and after title, abstract and full-text screening, 17 of the initial 1433 articles were included in this review.

  Data and analysis:

  Each study was coded for the discipline from which it emerged, the language combination studied, the measures of well-being and language proficiency it used, the geographical location of the study and the number of participants. Data on the link between bilingualism and well-being was extracted from each study.

  Findings and conclusion:

  Two main themes were identified: ‘The effect of language proficiency on family relationships’ and ‘The acculturation of parents and children as mediated by language’. Across studies, there was significant heterogeneity in definition of concepts and a diverse range of measures employed. In addition, the studies identified suggest a positive link between minority language maintenance and child well-being, and a positive influence of bilingualism, rather than knowledge of only the home or the majority language. However, the directionality of these relationships will need to be investigated in future research.

  Originality:

  This is the first scoping review conducted systematically to explore the link between bilingualism in the family and child well-being internationally. It builds on previous work such as a narrative review which examined this association in the European context.