Nairán Ramírez-Esparza and colleagues report that bilingual speakers act differently in English than in Spanish.
Across three separate samples, the researchers observed the same pattern – when the participants completed an English version of the questionnaire, they tended to score higher on extraversion, agreeableness and conscientiousness, and slightly lower on neuroticism, compared with when they completed a Spanish version.
The researchers explained: “Thus, an extravert does not suddenly become an introvert as she switches languages; instead a bilingual becomes more extraverted when she speaks English rather than Spanish but retains her rank ordering within each of the groups”.
The did not account for these changes because of artifacts of the study.
These results address sensitivities with which teachers deal daily. I’m not wise enough to suggest how to apply conclusions of these scientists.
Following the principle that knowing something is better than not knowing it, I suggest teachers add this to your reference bank of studies that may have utility, sometime.
Nairán Ramírez-Esparzaa, Samuel D. Goslinga, Verónica Benet-Martínezb, Jeffrey P. Potterc & James W. Pennebaker (2004). A special case of cultural frame switching, Journal of Research in Personality, Volume 40, Issue 2 , April 2006, Pages 99-120