Abstract
The use of smart technologies in bilingual education opens up new opportunities for language learning. This study aims to examine the influence of bilingualism on neural connections and brain activity in the context of education based on smart technologies. To achieve this goal, an experiment used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). An additional method was pre-testing and post-testing of students. The study took place at East China Normal University and Shandong University. The participants were 120 students; 50 of them were Americans, 50 were British, and 20 were Australians. All participants were randomly divided into two groups (control and experimental) with 60 participants each. In the comparison of fMRI data between the control and experimental groups, the experimental group demonstrated stronger and broader connectivity in speech-related brain regions, including those involved in speech processing. In addition, bilingualism was found to increase the volume of gray matter in areas related to speech processing, attention, and executive functions. Bilingualism was also associated with increased neuroplasticity, improved executive functions, and increased cognitive flexibility. The members of the experimental group scored more points on the final test (74.71) than the members of the control group (65.9). These findings serve as a basis for further research because they contribute to the theoretical understanding of how bilingualism influences neural connections. The practical implication of the study is that incorporating smart technologies in bilingual education can open up new opportunities for language learning.
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Funding
This work was sponsored in part by Guangdong Provincial Teaching Reform Project “Cultivating Students’ Cooperative and Innovative Competence on the Basis of Cognitive Strategies Theory on English Listening Teaching Reform”(GDJG202068).
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Liu, Y. The impact of bi/multilingualism on brain activity in dual language education based on smart technologies: Neurolinguistic aspect. Educ Inf Technol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-12571-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-12571-9