Can speaking more languages enhance your creativity? Relationship between bilingualism and creative potential among Korean American students with multicultural link

This study examined the relationship between individuals’ creativity and their degree of bilingualism, which is reflective of multicultural experiences. A total of 116 Korean American students (49 boys & 65 girls) participated in this study. The Word Association Test (Lambert, 1956) and Subject Self Rating (Peal & Lambert, 1962) were used to measure participants’ bilingualism, and the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (Torrance, 2008) was used to measure their creative potential. The results indicated that individuals’ degree of bilingualism and creativity are positively correlated, regardless of gender or age. Girls outperformed boys in the areas of bilingualism, Elaboration, and Abstractness of Titles, and age was not an influential factor on either creativity or bilingualism.