The Role of Capital on Literacy and Second Language Acquisition: A Cross-National Comparative Study

Key Context: Globalization has increased the demand for multilingual skills. Yet, language learning opportunities vary based on national education policies and socioeconomic factors. Language learning opportunities are shaped by social structures and vary based on economic,social, and cultural capital (ESC) (Bourdieu, 1986). Second Language Benefits Economic (Brown & Lauder, 1991; Foreman-Peck & Wang, 2014) Cognitive and Psychological (Bialystok, 2011; Dewaele & Wei, 2012; Graham, 2017) Social and Cultural (Marboua et al., 2024) Research Focus: Cross-national comparison of South Korea, Norway, Chile, and the U.S.