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20230720T083020230720T1130Europe/Amsterdam[SYMP54] New perspectives for research using a Complex Dynamic Systems Theory approach to SLDHybrid Session (onsite/online)AILA 2023 - 20th Anniversary Congress Lyon Editioncellule.congres@ens-lyon.fr
Exploring changes in activity systems before, during, and after study abroad: A case of Japanese international students
Oral Presentation[SYMP54] New perspectives for research using a Complex Dynamic Systems Theory approach to SLD08:30 AM - 11:30 AM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/20 06:30:00 UTC - 2024/07/20 09:30:00 UTC
This study examined how international students experience their sojourn from the perspective of activity theory (AT). While AT has been employed in previous study abroad (SA) research to investigate specific variables (e.g., Brown, 2021; Lee & Kinginger, 2018), holistic trajectories of learners' SA experiences have not been explored. Specifically, the current study explored two objectives: (a) how the six elements in Engeström's (2001) activity model are interconnected to explain Japanese international students' experience, and (b) how their activity systems change over time-before, during, and after SA. While, in the larger study, factor analyses were conducted on the questionnaire data, the current presentation focuses on the qualitative data pertaining to interviews with 23 participants. Among the participants, 17 had completed their SA, and 6 were at their SA destination at the time of the interviews. Interview prompts were guided by the principles of the AT model's six elements (i.e., subject, object, mediating artifacts, rules, community, and division of labor). The interview data, which was approximately 22 hours in total, was transcribed and qualitatively analyzed. While the analysis was guided by the AT model first, grounded theory was employed to explore the participants' accounts within each of six elements. Finally, 12 subthemes emerged for each time period. Subsequently, three activity systems were modeled to illustrate commonalities found in participants' experiences. Overall, before SA, the participants reported a variety of factors that positively mediated their English learning (e.g., family). Also, the efforts to achieve their long-term linguistic and career-oriented goals mirrored their perceived responsibilities as English learners. However, English classes at home that prioritized university entrance exam preparations negatively mediated their English learning experience. During SA, their sojourn lives mainly revolved around the community within the SA institution where resources and tools that mediated their English learning were realized. Furthermore, course requirements, cultural differences, relationships, and the sense of responsibilities influenced different elements within their activity systems. After SA, along with gains in English skills, personal development was frequently reported as a perceived outcome of SA. Despite their desire to further their English learning, many had put their English learning on the back burner, due to cultural and societal factors and changes in life priorities. We conclude with implications for improving students' SA experience and language learning, by focusing on ensuring a supportive community both at the home and host institutions and making the learners aware of their expectations and setting realistic goals at each time period-before, during, and after SA. Brown, L. (2021). "Sorry, I don't speak any English": An activity-theoretic account of language choice in study abroad in South Korea. In W. Diao & E. Trentman (Eds.), Language learning in study abroad: The multilingual turn (pp. 145-169). Multilingual Matters. Engeström, Y. (2001). Expansive learning at work: Toward an activity theoretical reconceptualization. Journal of Education and Work, 14(1), 133-156. Lee, S. H., & Kinginger, C. (2018). Narrative remembering of intercultural encounters: A case study of language program reintegration after study abroad. The Modern Language Journal, 102(3), 578-593.
Presenters Yukiko Oki Assistant Professor , Temple University JapanMasatoshi Sato Professor, Universidad Andrés Bello
The reliability of quantitative CAF measures in L2 speaking performance
Oral Presentation[SYMP54] New perspectives for research using a Complex Dynamic Systems Theory approach to SLD08:30 AM - 11:30 AM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/20 06:30:00 UTC - 2024/07/20 09:30:00 UTC
Tracing L2 development via single samples collected longitudinally, which are often rated on quantitative complexity, accuracy, and fluency (CAF) measures, is a classic approach in Complex Dynamic System Theory (CDST) research. The reliability of those single samples, however, has been questioned by L2 assessment research using Generalizability Theory (GT) (e.g., Schoonen, 2005). Wu et al. (2022) therefore used GT to test the reliability of carefully restricted single task assessments rated on five CAF measures, and found that the reliability of the CAF scores differed substantially. This inspired the current experiment to assess the reliability of CAF measures commonly used in assessing L2 (English) speaking. To this end, we searched for L2 studies researching English oral production published between 2016 and 2021 on Web of Science, from which we selected 57 quantitative CAF measures used by more than two articles without overlapping authors. The 57 measures were studied through a GT analysis on 275 recordings collected from 55 Chinese learners of English, who performed five oral tasks with different topics back to back individually. Results from the GT analysis show the impact of task topic on L2 oral performance (see also Benton et al., 1995; Yang et al., 2015), and shed light on the reliability of quantitative CAF measures (Wu et al., 2022). They can inform CDST studies relying on single samples collected longitudinally which CAF measures have high reliability, i.e., are stable at a moment in time, and can therefore be used to distinguish L2 development from other kinds of variability. When tracing the development of certain low-reliability CAF measures (e.g., mean number of modifiers per noun phrase), on the other hand, it would be necessary to collect multiple samples at each datapoint, and further compare the variability within and in between data points.
Keywords: Complex Dynamic System Theory; Generalizability Theory; complexity, accuracy, fluency; L2 English speaking; task topic Reference Benton, S. L., Sharp, J. M., Corkill, A.J., Downey, R.G., & Khramtsova, I. (1995). Knowledge, interest, and narrative writing. Journal of educational psychology, 87, 66-79. Schoonen, R. (2005). Generalizability of writing scores: an application of structural equation modeling. Language Testing, 22(1), 1–30. https://doi.org/10.1191/0265532205lt295oa Wu, Y., Steinkrauss, R. & Lowie, W. (2022). The Reliability of Single Task Assessment in Longitudinal L2 Writing Research [Manuscript submitted for publication]. Department of Applied Linguistics, University of Groningen. Yang, W., Lu, X., & Weigle, S. C. (2015). Different topics, different discourse: Relationships among writing topic, measures of syntactic complexity, and judgments of writing quality. Journal of Second Language Writing, 28, 53–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2015.02.002
Presenters May Wu PhD Student, University Of Groningen Co-authors
Evolving lives = emerging perceptions? Identifying phase shifts and stimuli for change in sociolinguistic evaluative judgements using dense time serial measurements
Oral Presentation[SYMP54] New perspectives for research using a Complex Dynamic Systems Theory approach to SLD08:30 AM - 11:30 AM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/20 06:30:00 UTC - 2024/07/20 09:30:00 UTC
In variationist SLA, the scarcity of studies taking a process-based approach to L2 development of sociolinguistic competence (= "the capacity to recognize and produce socially appropriate speech in context" [Lyster, 1994, p. 263]) has been repeatedly lamented. Product-based longitudinal studies relying on two to three measurements have hitherto provided insufficient evidence as to the dynamics of the sociolinguistic developmental process, and have moreover neglected environmental/psychological stimuli for change given their reliance on quantitative or qualitative methods. Additionally, variationist SLA has concentrated predominately on language production and left perception-based studies in the cold minority, despite sociolinguistic competence equally involving sophisticated interpretive abilities (e.g., identifying ideological/social meanings and mapping these onto specific sociolinguistic variants/varieties [Chappell/Kanwit, 2022]). To fill these gaps, the present talk focuses on the dynamics of emerging sociolinguistic judgements of standard German and Bavarian-Austrian dialect among L2 learners of German in Austria from a CDST perspective. Four subjects were tested 10 times over three months; two participants had immediately arrived in Austria at the beginning of the experiment, and two had been living in Austria for seven months. Each subject completed eight sociolinguistic matched-guise tasks and an introspective interview at each measurement, amounting to 320 matched-guise tasks and 40 interviews. Additionally, at the final measurement, subjects were presented with their trajectories and asked to consider retrodictively why their attitudes underwent periods of significant change and/or remained stable. We integrated generalized additive mixed effects modeling to identify rapid developmental phases vs. more stable phases with qualitative content analyses to explain phase shifts, addressing the following research questions: (a)When do we find periods of significant change in L2 learners' sociolinguistic evaluative judgements of standard German and Austrian dialect? (b)How do the learners explain the phase shifts in their sociolinguistic evaluative judgements both in real time and retrodictively? With respect to developmental jumps, the results show that while the evaluative judgements of the four learners underwent significant change over time, the individual developmental paths, each with all its variation, were quite different from one another: Some subjects' evaluative judgements exclusively underwent periods of significant increase, others' a mixture of significant increase and decrease, while one subject's evaluative judgements underwent no notable change. In exploring possible environmental and psychological reasons for change in learners' evaluative judgements, qualitative content analyses of the introspective interviews revealed affective states (e.g., emotions towards the learning environment), experiences/interactions with the naturalistic context, and goal complexes as stimuli for change behind (a) differences in evaluative judgement trajectories across participants and (b) significant changes in subjects' individual evaluative judgement trajectories. Qualitative analyses of the retrodictive data, however, provided little additional explanatory insights as to further reasons behind learners' individual trajectories. This underscored the high predictive power of the real time introspective interview method in explaining learners' intra-individual variability. Taken as a whole, the results implore the field of variationist SLA to expand in terms of method integration and CDST-inspired approaches so as to better capture stimuli for change in learners' evolving multivarietal sociolinguistic repertoires.
Uncovering the dynamic nature of L2 listening comprehension with idiodynamic methodology: Current status and future directions
Oral Presentation[SYMP54] New perspectives for research using a Complex Dynamic Systems Theory approach to SLD08:30 AM - 11:30 AM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/20 06:30:00 UTC - 2024/07/20 09:30:00 UTC
L2 listening pedagogy is often described as lacking (Vandergrift & Goh, 2012) or limited (Kaur, 2017; Siegel & Siegel, 2015; Swan & Walter, 2017). Developing appropriate listening pedagogy is hindered by a range of difficulties. First, listening processes are invisible and not easily recorded. Second, comprehension measurements and related factors are often measured as discrete, static phenomenon; for example, quizzes/tests (Gallien et al., 2000), survey (Siegel, 2020), and transcript marking (Littlemore, 2001). Third, these static comprehension measurements cannot not link specific factors to ongoing changes in a learners' comprehension. Fourth, much listening research is founded on group-based data, obscuring the dynamic, individual nature of learners' listening processes.
In response, this presentation describes qualitative and quantitative data from an idiodynamic study in an EMI-presentation class.
Quantitative ratings of perceived L2 comprehension provided a dynamic account of L2 comprehension across a classroom-situated listening activity, showing previously unreported (1) within-learner dynamism across a single text, (2) idiosyncratic reactions to the same texts, and (3) differentiation in levels of perceived comprehension across different texts.
Triangulation of idiodynamic ratings with qualitative descriptions of learners' experiences further revealed: Nuanced, qualitative descriptions of comprehension rather than binary 'I do (not) understand' reports;situated accounts of learners concurrently and/or consecutively managing top-down, bottom-up, lexical, affective, and interactive listening difficulties;use of the above stated factors to giving a unique analysis of aural text difficulties; dynamic, situated accounts of learners' listening strategy use.
The presentation discusses the pedagogical implications derived from applying idiodynamic methodology to L2 listening comprehension, as well as challenges in making the methodology more widely accepted in listening research, namely:
Confirming recall accuracy across various time-lags;examining the role differing affective constructs may have on recall;calibration of ratings;understanding how momentary episodes of (non)comprehension relate to overall comprehension;studying how learners with differing L2 listening proficiencies respond to various listening difficulties.
The presentation concludes by proposing future listening-focused, CDST grounded studies, including variations across other listening domains (e.g., notetaking, lectures, following teacher instructions, etc.).
References Gallien, C., Hotho, S., & Staines, H. (2000). The impact of input modifications on listening comprehension: A study of learner perceptions. JALT Journal, 22(2), 271-295. https://doi.org/10.37546/JALTJJ22.2-3 Kaur, K. (2017). Teaching listening or testing listening? Teaching and Learning English in Multicultural Contexts, 1(1), 42-48. https://doi.org/10.37058/tlemc.v1i1.396 Littlemore, J. (2001). The use of metaphor in university lectures and the problems that it causes for overseas students. Teaching in Higher Education, 6(3), 333-349. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562510120061205 Siegel, J. (2020). Comprehension in English Medium Instruction (EMI) lectures: On the impact of lecturer L2 English use. Language Learning in Higher Education, 10(1), 73-91. https://doi.org/10.1515/cercles-2020-2005 Siegel, J., & Siegel, A. (2015). Getting to the bottom of L2 listening instruction: Making a case for bottom-up activities. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 5(4), 637-662. https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2015.5.4.6 Swan, M., & Walter, C. (2017). Misunderstanding comprehension. ELT Journal, 71(2), 228-236. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccw094 Vandergrift, L., & Goh, C. (2012). Teaching and learning second language listening: Metacognition in action. Routledge
Exploring fractality in the development of L2 writing in English: A multifractal analysis approach
Oral Presentation[SYMP54] New perspectives for research using a Complex Dynamic Systems Theory approach to SLD08:30 AM - 11:30 AM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/20 06:30:00 UTC - 2024/07/20 09:30:00 UTC
One of the relatively under-researched tenets of Complex Dynamic Systems Theory is the concept of fractality in language. Fractals refer to a self-similar structure where a smaller copy of itself has similar patterns with the structure as a whole (Hiver & Al Horrie, 2020). Prior to the introduction of CDST into applied linguistics, the notion of fractality in language has been investigated through the Menzerath-Altmann Law (the longer a construct is, the smaller its constituents are) and the Zipf-Mandelbrot law (the relationship between the frequency rank of words and their number of occurrences follow the power-law distribution). Common to both laws is the basis of evidence for fractality, i.e., the power law relationship, which is frequently expressed as a linear relationship in the logarithmic scale of the two quantities. Similarly, within the context of CDST, the notion of fractality in the temporal domain of language use is also explored from this perspective. Lowie et al's (2014) study, for example, demonstrated that the pattern of lexical processing in second language use followed a 1/f scaling relation, which, like the power law, also results in a linear relation in the log-log plot. Evans (2020), as well, showed that the frequency/density plot of clausal use by his participant across 30 weeks followed the power-law distribution. We extended this line of inquiry by using a multifractal analysis to explore the nature of fractality in language. We hypothesised that the nature of fractality in language is multifractal, instead of (mono-)fractal as implicitly assumed in most, if not all, of the currently available study of fractal linguistics. In our study on L1 English texts and L2 English texts, we found evidence of the multifractality in the distribution of 3 syntactic constructs we chose to focus on in English texts - i.e., the Finite Verb Phrases, Noun Phrases, and Head Nouns. In this paper, we will use the same analysis to explore the changes in fractality along L2 writing development. We will look at development cross-sectionally (by comparing texts from different learners across 3 proficiency levels) and semi-longitudinally (by comparing texts produced by a learner over a period of time). This presentation will demonstrate the use of Multifractal Analysis to explore the changes in fractality in the distribution of the Finite Verb Phrase, the Noun Phrase, and the Head Noun constructs in L2 writing development.
References Evans, D. (2020). On the fractal nature of complex syntax and the timescale problem. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 10(4), 697-721. https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2020.10.4.3 Hiver, P., & Al-Hoorie, A. (2020). Research methods for Complexity Theory in applied linguistics. Multilingual Matters. Lowie, W., Plat, R., & de Bot, K. (2014). Pink noise in language production: A nonlinear approach to the multilingual lexicon. Ecological Psychology, 26(3), 216-228, https://doi.org/10.1080/10407413.2014.929479
Presenters Rosmawati Rosmawati Assistant Professor, Singapore Institute Of TechnologyWander Lowie Professor, University Of Groningen
Yukiko Oki
Masatoshi Sato
May Wu
Wander Lowie
Simone Pfenninger
Rosmawati Rosmawati