The Impact of Bilingualism on Native Language Reading Comprehension Among University Students

Bilingualism has been linked to cognitive and academic benefits, yet its impact on native language reading comprehension among university students is unclear. This study assessed whether bilingual students outperform non-bilingual peers in native language reading comprehension. Fifty-seven students at an international campus in South Korea completed reading assessments using College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) reading comprehension sections and TOEIC/English CSAT reading comprehension sections. Results revealed that non-bilingual students scored higher than bilingual students in Korean reading comprehension, likely due to reduced exposure to Korean and lack of systematic CSAT preparation. In contrast, English-speaking bilinguals showed no significant difference, suggesting that balanced language input can mitigate performance gaps. These findings emphasize the need for tailored educational strategies to support bilingual students and highlight the role of linguistic environments in shaping reading comprehension skills. While the small sample size limits generalizability, this study underscores the complexity of bilingualism’s cognitive and educational impacts.