The Development And Interplay Of Formal And Semantic Complexity In Advanced L2 Writing:A DST-based Approach

The construct of complexity in L2 learner written production has aroused keen interest from SLA scholars and writing researchers in particular.As an integral component of second language development,writing development has long been heatedly researched from a dynamic systems theory(DST)perspective,which predominantly traces the dynamic process and interplay of and between complexity,accuracy,and fluency.Thus,it is crucial to focus on the development of complexity in L2 learners' writing performance based on a DST approach.Innumerable studies have been done to assess L2 writing through quantitative measures of linguistic complexity,i.e.,lexical and syntactic measures.Few studies,however,have integrated considerations regarding the development of both formal complexity(formal dimension)and semantic complexity(meaning dimension).To gain a more comprehensive view on L2 writing development,the present research aims to describe the developmental paths of formal and semantic complexity in advanced learners' writings and explore the interplay patterns between the two systems.It also endeavors to reveal certain influential factors at issue.The research is embedded in an instructed Advanced Writing Course,which is run in the form of multiple-draft writing with integrated feedback.Two participants are selected among advanced learners in the intact class,featuring more-skilled level(Lucy)and average-skilled level(Mary).Argumentative writings were composed on 5 given topics over the semester.It took three weeks to finish one essay with three drafts,with suggestions from peer feedback and teacher feedback.Measurements for complexity are dependent clauses per T-unit(DC/T)and complex nominals per T-unit(CN/T)to sketch syntactic capacity,and grammatical metaphors per T-unit(GM/T)to uncover students' emergent ability to work with GM in the syntactic environment.DC/T and CN/T are calculated by virtue of L2SCA(Lu,2010),and GM/T is counted manually.The data were quantitatively analyzed with DST techniques to diagnose general development,sudden jump,and anomalous variance.Qualitative analysis aided by feedback,interview and self-reflection serves to reveal the divergence and the complex meaning-making process.The major findings of the present research are as follows:1)The development of formal complexity reveals different developmental paths and final states within a system,featuring nonlinearity with progress and regression.DC/T witnesses a general decrease and CN/T experiences an overall increase.Inter-individual variation is prominent in their developmental processes.2)The development of semantic complexity generally increases with dynamism.Both participants show stage-wise progress in constructing complex meaning through the resources of GM.However,the two differ regarding developmental pace,phase transition,and final states.3)The patterns are diversified concerning between-variable interplay and different on individual level.Between-system interaction is largely competitive as measured by DC/T and GM/T while mostly supportive regarding CN/T and GM/T.Individually,the patterns of the more-skilled learner between two systems exhibit resemblance and evolve from general competition to support.For the average-skilled learner,the interplay is mostly negative between DC/T and GM/T and positive between CN/T and GM/T.Results generated could be attributable to internal factors and processes within the pedagogical context.It is found that 1)the participants' attention-distribution and self-organizational ability influence developmental pace and variability of the three subsystems;2)feedback and topic familiarity elicit the writers' emphasis on different linguistic resources to meet the demands of meaning-making.The present study has implications for L2 writing research and classroom teaching.Theoretically,it inspires researchers to adopt an integrated approach in assessing L2 writing by attending to both formal and semantic complexity.Methodologically,it is advisable to employ more sophisticated DST techniques to describe and explain L2 writers' developmental paths and interplay patterns.Pedagogically,L2 writing instructors should pay more attention to importing resources for meaning-making and provide timely intervention so that students are motivated to co-adapt the development of formal and semantic complexity to an optimal level.