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Dynamic Development in L2 Written Complexity of Chinese EFL Learners

  • Jinfen Xu

    Jinfen Xu is a professor and Ph.D. supervisor at the School of Foreign Languages, Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Her research interests lie in foreign language education, second language acquisition, learner autonomy and teacher development.

    and Baoqi Yang

    Baoqi Yang (the corresponding author) is a graduate student at the School of Foreign Languages, Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Her research interests include second language acquisition, complex dynamic systems theory and language complexity, accuracy and fluency.

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Published/Copyright: July 2, 2024
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Abstract

The present study investigated the developmental trajectories of written language of two Chinese EFL learners in terms of complexity over one semester and explored the relationship between syntactic complexity and lexical complexity under the framework of Complex Dynamic Systems Theory (CDST). The data were processed using dynamic analyses (min-max graphs, moving correlations and Change-point analysis) to visualize the developmental process and variability of each subsystem of complexity with 4 measures (mean length of T-unit, mean length of clause, clauses per T-unit and VocD) and interactions between different subsystems. The results showed, first, that different subsystems of written language complexity developed dynamically and nonlinearly with different degrees of variability, and varied in the two participants. Second, interactions existed between syntactic complexity and lexical complexity, which shaped as competitors for Jenny but as connected growers for Helen. The results further deepened the understanding of the development in learners’ written complexity, providing significant implications for EFL writing teaching.

About the authors

Jinfen Xu

Jinfen Xu is a professor and Ph.D. supervisor at the School of Foreign Languages, Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Her research interests lie in foreign language education, second language acquisition, learner autonomy and teacher development.

Baoqi Yang

Baoqi Yang (the corresponding author) is a graduate student at the School of Foreign Languages, Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Her research interests include second language acquisition, complex dynamic systems theory and language complexity, accuracy and fluency.

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Social Science Foundation (Key Project) of China (Grant No. 20AYY015).

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Published Online: 2024-07-02
Published in Print: 2024-02-26

© 2024 BFSU, FLTRP, Walter de Gruyter, Cultural and Education Section British Embassy

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