Social Research

Multilingualism is a prevalent reality in today’sworld. From an individual level to a societal one, multilingualism incorporates many aspects that have been studied extensively by diverse social research disciplines. The present article will explore the potential directions which multilingualism research can take, concentrating mainly on the benefits of the integration of psychological methods in mainstream multilingualism research. We propose that a closer collaboration between psychologists and applied linguists is necessary for the advancement of the field of multilingualism. The integration of the themes and methodologies of the two social sciences will be advantageous to both. The diverse methodological approaches should not be viewed as a hindrance for the development of multilingual research, but rather as an asset. Linguists and psychologists can draw on each other’s methodological expertise since many of the research questions asked are comparable and complementary.

The study reported in this chapter focuses on the effect that a 2 to 4 week pre-sessional course at Aix-Marseille University had on Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) and Willingness to Communicate (WTC) in the French as a foreign language of 93 learners of European and Asian origin, who ranged from beginners to intermediate learners. They were tested at the start and at the end of the course. Results showed a significant decrease in levels of FLA and a significant increase in WTC. Length of stay had no effect on FLA, but was positively linked to difference in WTC. Level of proficiency had no effect on difference in FLA but had a positive effect on difference in WTC, with lower-intermediate learners showing the biggest increase in WTC. Students’ cultural background had a significant effect on FLA and WTC at Time 1, with the Asian group reporting more FLA and less WTC.