Bilingualism and Background Factors as Predictors of Perceived 21st-Century Skills in Higher Education

Abstract

This study examines differences between monolingual and bilingual students’ self-reported 21st-century skills in higher education, with attention to the contributions of demographic and academic factors. Drawing on data from a linguistically and socioeconomically diverse sample of higher education students, the study considers these skills as part of broader educational concerns related to students’ preparation for academic, social, and labor market demands. Data were collected through an online questionnaire completed by 564 Israeli undergraduate students. The analysis focused on differences between monolingual and bilingual students and on the role of socioeconomic indicators, including family income and mother’s education, as well as academic degree, year of study, and employment status. Results showed that bilingual students reported higher levels in selected subscales, including cognitive processes such as critical thinking and problem-solving, intellectual openness, and interpersonal skills such as teamwork. No significant differences were found for creativity. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that demographic, socioeconomic, academic, and employment variables were associated with perceived skill levels, with different patterns for monolingual and bilingual students. Overall, the findings point to domain-specific differences between bilingual and monolingual students and highlight the importance of contextual and demographic factors. They suggest that bilingual experience may be associated with specific cognitive, intrapersonal, and interpersonal skill domains, although these associations should be interpreted with caution, given the cross-sectional, self-report design. The findings also suggest the value of creating structured opportunities for multilingual engagement in educational settings as one possible way to support 21st-century skills among students from diverse linguistic and socioeconomic backgrounds.