The Contribution of Multilingualism in Students' Socialization at the University Level. An Exploratory Cross-Cultural Study

Abstract

Multilingualism has proven to be an effective factor for the development of individuals and societies various levels: cognitive, affective, social economic, educational to cite but these levels.. The present study explores the effects of multilingualism on socialization using a descriptive approach, both quantitative and qualitative. We report the data of nineteen multilingual university students who have answered a questionnaire that included closed-ended and open-ended questions. The results of this research tool have demonstrated that multilingualism has various positive effects on socialization since it drives individuals to make new acquaintances by developing their cultural awareness, enriches their linguistic background and provides several expressions for different situations. We also suggested some implications for researchers and education specialists.