A Dynamic Systems Approach To Investigating Chinese Chemistry Undergraduates' EAP Reading Ability Development

English for Academic Purposes(EAP)reading is a crucial means for Chinese university students to improve their academic ability and academic competitiveness in the international academic world.It is also a fundamental channel for them to obtain the latest information in their fields of study(Carrell & Grabe,2002;Luo & Xiao,2011;Usó-Juan,2006).University students need to be equipped with strong EAP reading ability in order to excel in their academic study and research.The development of EAP reading involves numerous components,e.g.,linguistic knowledge,discipline knowledge,and strategies.These components are interdependent and interactive,and pose great obstacles for investigation using traditional research methods.The Dynamic Systems Theory(DST)deals with the development of complex systems over time.It describes and explains the complex interactions among systems components,between components and the environment.Given the nature of EAP reading,the DST provides a suitable paradigm for exploring its development.This study explores the developmental trajectories of Chinese Chemistry major undergraduates' EAP reading ability from the DST perspective.Two research questions were proposed: 1)At group,subgroup,and individual levels,what are the developmental trajectories of the Chinese Chemistry major undergraduates' EAP reading ability? 2)At the three levels,do qualitative changes(phase shifts)occur? If so,what are the possible reasons for the changes? A total of 28 Chemistry major undergraduates at a key Chinese university participated in this research.Twelve reading tests were administered to these participants(each lasted 30–40 minutes)once a week.Each test was followed by a semi-structured interview(5–10 minutes).After the 12 tests,the participants completed a questionnaire,which examined their reading strategies and motivation to improve the EAP reading ability.Both the quantitative and qualitative methods were utilized.The quantitative method investigated the developmental trajectories by two DST techniques,i.e.,the moving min-max graph and the Change-Point Analyzer.Qualitative methods explored the potential reasons for phase shifts,based on the interviews and the questionnaire.The results showed that EAP reading development was nonlinear.The group trajectory displayed smooth ascending trend and a phase shift.Regarding subgroup development,the group of higher English level and higher Chemistry level(the high–high group)was more stable than the other three subgroups,indicating that theirsystem is better organized,and the system is more adaptive to various types of reading materials.The group of higher English level and lower Chemistry level(high–low group)and the group of lower English level group and higher Chemistry level(low–high group)demonstrated opposite fluctuations in the initial stage,suggesting the dynamic and complex interaction between English and Chemistry knowledge.The group of lower English level and lower Chemistry level(low–low group)showed bigger oscillation in the initial stage,which gradually mitigated.This pattern implied that the system became better organized with the improvement of ability.Phase shifts were identified in all group and subgroup development.These phase shifts occurred between week 4 and week 7,indicating that qualitative changes in system development required quantitative accumulation.EAP reading development is through repetition of simple procedures of reading.At the individual level,5 of the28 participants experienced phase shifts,constituting 18% of the population.Potential causes of their phase shifts were explored.The findings of the current study may give insights into the developmental trajectories of the EAP reading ability,which differed from the traditional static and isolated research paradigm.It also expands the research methods of EAP reading ability and provides references for future research on EAP reading ability.