Reconstructing Multilingual Development Research: Shifting from a Monolingual Bias and Toward a Developmental Systems...

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Linguistics
• Sociology

Background:

• Multilingual research has historically relied on a monolingual framework, limiting theoretical development.
• This bias overlooks the complexities of diverse developmental trajectories in language and cognition for multilingual individuals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the limitations of a monolingual bias in multilingual research.
• To propose a developmental systems framework that centers the lived language experiences of multilingual children.
• To shift the focus from a monolingual perspective to a dynamic, interactional understanding of multilingual development.

Main Methods:

• Application of a developmental systems framework.
• Analysis of moment-to-moment, multimodal interactions between children, social partners, and environments.
• Consideration of child/partner characteristics and contextual factors influencing multilingual exposure.

Main Results:

• Identified limitations of the monolingual bias in current research.
• Proposed a framework emphasizing dynamic interactions, child/partner characteristics, and contextual factors.
• Highlighted key areas for future research in multilingual development.

Conclusions:

• A developmental systems framework can reorient multilingual development research.
• Centering lived experiences and dynamic interactions enriches understanding of multilingual learners.
• Future research should explore multimodal coordination, community-specific experiences, and temporal language patterns.