The Impact of Bilingual Experience on Self-Regulation Development in Early Childhood: A Systematic Review

As a multifaceted construct that plays a significant role in cognitive, psychological and social development in early childhood, Self-Regulation (SR) refers to the ability to actively plan and modulate behaviours operating across multiple levels of function in pursuit of a goal. SR has significant correlations with multiple positive outcomes such as academic success, development of language skills, psychological and physical health, and social competence. Among the significant variables affecting SR strategy development, research indicate that early childhood bilingualism has a significant role in children’s development of specific strategies. In this respect, the aim of the study is to compile the indicators of SR strategies impacted by linguistic state (i.e., being bilingual or dual-language learner) of children in preschool age. Adopting systematic review research design, the study reports the results obtained from the review of the articles (N=42). Highlighting the significance of bilingual experience in early childhood, the findings indicate varying degrees of casual relationship between children’s linguistic state and SR development in this period. Considering that the development of the strategies during this period is essential for later development, the findings are meant to lead to further discussions and research on the role of linguistic experiences in SR development in early childhood.