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Second language writing from a complex dynamic systems perspective

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 April 2022

Gary G. Fogal Open the ORCID record for Gary G. Fogal [Opens in a new window]
Gary G. Fogal*
Affiliation:
Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan
*
*Corresponding author. Email: ggfogal@sophia.ac.jp
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Extract

This work provides a chronological and thematic account of empirical studies and position papers on second language (L2) writing scholarship from a complex dynamic systems theory (CDST) perspective. As a theoretical framework, CDST was formally introduced into applied linguistics research by Diane Larsen-Freeman in 1994 (Larsen-Freeman, 1994). However, more than a decade passed before CDST-L2 writing studies emerged in the literature, with Larsen-Freeman (2006) frequently cited as the first related publication. Initially, scholarship focused primarily on the quality of linguistic output (e.g., measures of complexity, accuracy, and fluency, or CAF) in North American and European contexts. Since these early foci, studies have expanded to cover a range of constructs and contexts that employ increasingly sophisticated and diverse research methods (for a recent collection of studies, see Fogal & Verspoor, 2020). In this time, a CDST approach to L2 writing research has matured alongside a general CDST view of language change that has contributed, through empirical studies, to understanding the nonlinear, adaptive, context dependent, and complex and dynamic nature of L2 development (see Hiver et al., 2021, for an overview).

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Research Timeline
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Language Teaching , Volume 55 , Issue 2 , April 2022 , pp. 193 - 210
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Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

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