It's About Time 1

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Classroom-oriented research from a complex systems perspective

Bringing a complex systems perspective to bear on classroom-oriented research challenges researchers to think differently, seeing the classroom ecology as one dynamic system nested in a hierarchy of such systems at different levels of scale, all of which are spatially and temporally situated. This article begins with an introduction to complex dynamic systems theory, in which challenges to traditional ways of conducting classroom research are interwoven. It concludes with suggestions for research methods that are more consistent with the theory. Research does not become easier when approached from a complex systems perspective, but it has the virtue of reflecting the way the world works

Reflecting on the Cognitive Social Debate in Second Language Acquisition

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On Language Learner Agency: A Complex Dynamic Systems Theory Perspective

Agency has attracted considerable attention, especially of late. Nevertheless, perceptions of language learners as nonagentive persist. In this article the Douglas Fir Group’s call for a transdisciplinary perspective is heeded in a Complex Dynamic Systems Theory’s (CDST) conceptualization of agency. It is suggested that CDST maintains the structureâ agency complementarity while bringing to the fore the relational and emergent nature of agency. Coordination dynamics is identified as a possible mechanism for the phylogenetic and ontogenetic emergence of agency. CDST further characterizes agency as spatiallyâ temporally situated. It can be achieved and changed through iteration and coâ adaptation. It is also multidimensional and heterarchical. In this era of posthumanism, an issue that is also taken up is whether it is only humans who have agency. The article then discusses educational practices that could support learner agency. Finally, the article closes with a discussion of agency and ethical action.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/147771/1/modl12536_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/147771/2/modl12536.pd

Bifurcations and the Emergence of L2 Syntactic Structures in a Complex Dynamic System

We report on a complex dynamic systems study of an untutored adult French learner\u27s development of English syntax, specifically two non-finite adverbial constructions. The study was conducted over one academic year of 30 weeks. From an analysis of L2 speech samples collected weekly, certain patterns in the flux emerged. The learner\u27s ensuing second language development is characterized by a series of bifurcations, stemming from forms competing for the same functional terrain. Each bifurcation is accompanied by turbulence as the system moves from one attractor state to another. The transition is characterized by loss of stability, an increase in variability, and a period of dysfluency. It is in the dynamic relationship of accuracy and fluency that novel syntactic forms emerge, both convergent with and divergent from dominant contextual patterns, with dominance established by consulting a well-known corpus of contemporary English. Non-linear development occurs with continuous and iterative exposure to and interaction in English-from relexification to adaptation and synchronization, animated by the learner\u27s perception and memory of regular sequential associations, to pruning of divergent forms. What results over time is a branching hierarchy, connecting online processing with over time development. Multiple competing forms continue to co-exist in the learner\u27s repertoire, which is likely more typical of adult L2 development than of L1 acquisition

Complex Dynamic Systems and Language Education:A Sampling of Current Research – Editorial

It has been twenty-five years since second language acquisition/development researchers and practitioners were introduced to chaos/complexity theory and its systems (variously referred to in our field as “complex systems,” complex adaptive systems,” and “complex dynamic systems”) (Larsen-Freeman, 1997). Unsurprisingly, the uptake of the new ideas was nonlinear. When they did attract a growing number of scholars, almost all of the research reports were descriptive—pointing out how language—its evolution, its use, its learning, and its teaching—were all complex, dynamic, nonlinear, emergent, feedback-sensitive, self-organizing, initial condition-sensitive, open, adaptive systems. In addition to these characteristics, because language is comprised of many interacting components and can be characterized by a number of scale-free power laws, such as Zipfian distributions, it indeed qualifies as a complex system

Design-Based Research in CALL

The purpose of this volume is to expand and refine our understanding of the use of design-based research (DBR) in CALL by contributing to the growing body of literature in this area. We have tried our best to strike a balance between theoretical considerations and concrete examples of DBR. The first section of this volume focuses on theoretical perspectives and ideas that can inform the use of DBR in CALL. The second section contains studies that illustrate DBR through concrete instances of its operationalization. We hope this volume will be a useful source of information and inspiration for those considering to further explore DBR in CALL. For updates on DBR in CALL, please visit the companion site to this volume: https://sites.google.com/site/designbasedresearch/https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/language_books/1006/thumbnail.jp

Does TESOL Share Theories With Other Disciplines?

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Complex Systems and Applied Linguistics

The book introduces key concepts in complexity theory to readers concerned with language, its learning, and its use. It demonstrates the applicability and usefulness of these concepts to a range of areas in applied linguistics including first and second language development, language teaching, and discourse analysis. It concludes with a chapter that discusses suitable approaches to research investigations. This book will be invaluable for readers who want to understand the recent developments in the field that draw on complexity theory, including dynamic systems theory, ecological approaches, and emergentism

Combinations and Connections: Reaching Across Disciplinary Boundaries

The data- rich articles in this special issue invite readers to consider how grammar and multimodality enact social practices. In particular, they propose a reconceptualization of grammar, moving beyond an autonomous system of items and combinatorial rules to demonstrate how grammar is an embodied resource for social interaction. In this discussion, I build on this important reconceptualization of grammar in order to identify cross- cutting themes- themes that result from combining research methodologies and connecting the research reported on here with that originating from other disciplines, especially that inspired by complex dynamic systems theory. My intention is to urge all researchers not only to pursue their own research agendas but also to build on existing common ground, in order to overcome fractionalization and to contribute to our mutual understanding.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/172104/1/modl12753.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/172104/2/modl12753_am.pd