Studying the Foreign Language Effect on the Impostor Phenomenon, and the Role of Personality Traits

Sammanfattning

The aim of this study was to investigate how two different phenomena, the Foreign Language Effect (FLE) and personality traits, may influence Impostor Phenomenon (IP). IP describes the perception and concerns some individuals have regarding external attributions or others’ perceptions of one’s success or accomplishments. FLE is the self-distancing that occurs when individuals operate in a foreign language. The study involved 38 participants that had Swedish as their native language, and English as their foreign language. The research methodology used to collect data was quantitative experimental design. Each participant was assigned either the Swedish (native language) or English (foreign language) version of the questionnaire through a quasi-randomisation, based on their birth month. Both questionnaires had the exact same content, including Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale (CIPS) and Mini International Personality Item Pool (Mini-IPIP), only difference being language. The average age for the native group was (M = 28.43), and for the foreign group (M = 26.07). The research questions assessed whether there was a difference in IP when self-assessment was conducted in a native or foreign language. The study also wanted to analyse whether foreign language proficiency could influence IP, and if a correlation between personality traits and IP could be identified. The results showed no significant difference between the languages when participants rated their feelings of IP. However, a strong correlation was found between neuroticism and IP in both foreign and native language groups, other correlations between language proficiency or personality trait and IP showed no significance. The study also suggested that further research should examine language proficiency more closely in relation to FLE.