Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7fkt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T05:58:26.577Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Second Language Developmental Dynamics: How Dynamic Systems Theory Accounts for Issues in Second Language Learning

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 December 2013

Rosmawati Open the ORCID record for Rosmawati [Opens in a new window]
Rosmawati*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Education and Social Work, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
*
Address for correspondence: Rosmawati, Education Annexe, A36, Room 2a13, Faculty of Education and Social Work, The University of Sydney, Sydney NSW 2006, Australia. Email: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

Dynamic systems theory (DST) is presented in this article as a suitable approach to research the acquisition of second language (L2) because of its close alignment with the process of second language learning. Through a process of identifying and comparing the characteristics of a dynamic system with the process of L2 learning, this article illustrates that L2 development is indeed a dynamic process. This article argues that DST has not only broadened the theoretical perspective, but also enriched the practical and methodological approaches in the second language developmental research enterprise. DST has the potential to bridge the gap between reductionist and holistic research practice in the Second Language Acquisition (SLA) field and to advance our understanding of L2 acquisition and development. This article argues that incorporating DST into cross-disciplinary inquiries will strengthen its practical application. It concludes by pointing out some directions to apply this framework and to expand beyond its current state.

Keywords

language developmentdynamic systems theorysecond language learningparadigm shiftdevelopmental perspectives
Type
Articles
Information
The Educational and Developmental Psychologist , Volume 31 , Issue 1 , July 2014 , pp. 66 - 80
Copyright
Copyright © Australian Psychological Society Ltd 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Brown, R. (1973). A first language: The early stages. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Caspi, T., & Lowie, W. (2010). A dynamic perspective on L2 lexical development in academic English. In Chacón-Beltrán, R., Abello-Contesse, C., & Torreblanca-López, M.d.M. (Eds.), Insights into non-native vocabulary teaching and learning (pp. 41–60). Bristol: Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar
de Bot, K. (2008). Introduction: Second language development as a dynamic process. The Modern Language Journal, 92 (2), 166–178.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
de Bot, K., Chan, H., Lowie, W., Plat, R., & Verspoor, M. (2012). A dynamic perspective on language processing and development. Dutch Journal of Applied Linguistics, 1 (2), 188–218.Google Scholar
de Bot, K., & Larsen-Freeman, D. (2011). Researching second language development from a dynamic systems theory perspective. In Verspoor, M.H., de Bot, K., & Lowie, W. (Eds.) A dynamic approach to second language development (pp. 5–23). Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
de Bot, K., Lowie, W., Thorne, S., & Verspoor, M. (2013). Dynamic systems theory as a comprehensive theory of second language development. In García Mayo, M., Gutierrez Mangado, M., & Martínez Adrián, M. (Eds.), Contemporary approaches to second language acquisition (pp. 199–220). Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
de Bot, K., Lowie, W., & Verspoor, M. (2005). Second language acquisition: An advanced resource book. Oxon: Routledge.Google Scholar
de Bot, K., Lowie, W. & Verspoor, M. (2007). A dynamic systems theory approach to second language acquisition. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 10 (1), 7–21.Google Scholar
de Bot, K., & Makoni, S. (2005). Language and aging in multilingual societies: A dynamic approach. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
de Bot, K., Verspoor, M., & Lowie, W. (2005). Dynamic systems theory and applied linguistics. The ultimate ‘so what’? International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 15 (1), 116–118.Google Scholar
Ellis, N. (2008). The dynamics of second language emergence: Cycles of language use, language change, and language acquisition. The Modern Language Journal, 92 (2), 232–249.Google Scholar
Ellis, R. (2008). The study of second language acquisition (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Fogel, A., Greenspan, S., King, B. J., Lickliter, R., Reygadas, P., Shanker, S.G., & Toren, C. (2008). A dynamic systems approach to the life sciences. In Fogel, A., King, B.J., & Shanker, S.G. (Eds.), Human development in the twenty-first century: Visionary ideas from systems scientist (pp. 235–253). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Kellert, S.H. (2008). Borrowed knowledge: Chaos theory and the challenge of learning across disciplines. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Kunnen, S., van Dijk, M., Lichtwarck-Aschoff, A., Visser, M., & van Geert, P. (2012). The search for variability and change. In Kunnen, S. (Ed.) A dynamic systems approach to adolescent development (pp. 53–71). London: Psychology Press.Google Scholar
Larsen-Freeman, D. (1997). Chaos/complexity science and second language acquisition. Applied Linguistics, 18 (2), 141–165.Google Scholar
Larsen-Freeman, D. (2002). Language acquisition and language use from a chaos/complexity theory perspective. In Kramsch, C. (Ed.), Language acquisition and language socialization (pp. 33–46). London: Continuum.Google Scholar
Larsen-Freeman, D. (2006). The emergence of complexity, fluency and accuracy in the oral and written production of five Chinese learners of English. Applied Linguistics, 27 (4), 590–619.Google Scholar
Larsen-Freeman, D. (2007). On the complementarity of chaos/complexity theory and dynamic systems theory in understanding the second language acquisition process. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 10 (1), 35–37.Google Scholar
Larsen-Freeman, D. (2012). Complex, dynamic systems: A new transdisciplinary theme for applied linguistics? Language Teaching, 45 (2), 202–214.Google Scholar
Larsen-Freeman, D., & Cameron, L. (2008). Research methodology on language development from a complex system perspective. The Modern Language Journal, 92 (2), 200–213.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lorenz, E. (1963). Deterministic non-periodic flow. Journal of Atmospheric Sciences, 20, 130–141.Google Scholar
Lowie, W., Caspi, T., van Geert, P., & Steenbeek, H. (2011). Modelling development and change. In Verspoor, M.H., de, K. Bot, & Lowie, W. (Eds.), A dynamic approach to second language development (pp. 99–121). Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Plaza-Pust, C. (2008). Dynamic systems theory and universal grammar: Holding up a turbulent mirror to development in grammars. The Modern Language Journal, 92 (2), 250–269.Google Scholar
Schmid, M.S., Verspoor, M., & MacWhinney, B. (2011). Coding and extracting data. In Verspoor, M.H., de Bot, K., & Lowie, W. (Eds.), A dynamic approach to second language development (pp. 39–54). Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company.Google Scholar
Selinker, L. (1972). Interlanguage. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, 10 (3), 209–231.Google Scholar
Spoelman, M., & Verspoor, M. (2010). Dynamic patterns in development of accuracy and complexity: A longitudinal case study in the acquisition of Finnish. Applied Linguistics, 31 (1), 1–22.Google Scholar
Sunderman, G., & Fancher, E. (2013). Lexical access in bilinguals and second language learners. In Schwieter, J.W. (Ed.), Innovative research and practices in second language acquisition and bilingualism (pp. 267–286). Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company.Google Scholar
Thelen, E., & Smith, L. (1993). A dynamic systems approach to development: Application. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.Google Scholar
Thelen, E., & Smith, L. (1994). A dynamic systems approach to the development of cognition and action. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.Google Scholar
Thelen, E., & Smith, L. (1998). Dynamic systems theories. In Damon, W. & Lerner, R. (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology (5th ed., vol 1, pp. 563–634). New York: John Wiley & Sons.Google Scholar
Thelen, E., & Smith, L. (2006). Dynamic systems theories. In Damon, W. & Lerner, R. (Eds.) Handbook of child psychology (6th ed., vol 1, pp. 258–312). Somerset, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.Google Scholar
Thewissen, J. (2013). Capturing L2 accuracy developmental patterns: Insights from an error- tagged EFL learner corpus. The Modern Language Journal, 97 (S1), 77–101.Google Scholar
van Dijk, M., & van Geert, P. (2007). Wobbles, humps, and sudden jumps: A case study of continuity, discontinuity, and variability in early language development. Infant and Child Development, 16, 7–33.Google Scholar
van Dijk, M., Verspoor, M., & Lowie, W. (2011). Variability and DST. In Verspoor, M.H., de Bot, K., & Lowie, W. (Eds.), A dynamic approach to second language development (pp. 55–84). Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company.Google Scholar
van Geert, P. (2008). The dynamic systems approach in the study of L1 and L2 acquisition: An introduction. The Modern Language Journal, 92 (2), 179–199.Google Scholar
van Geert, P. (2009). A comprehensive dynamic systems theory of language development. In de, K. Bot & Schrauf, R.W. (Eds.), Language development over the lifespan (pp. 60–104). New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
van Geert, P. (2011). The contribution of complex dynamic systems to development. Child Development Perspectives, 5 (4), 273–278.Google Scholar
van Geert, P. (2012). Dynamic systems. In Lauren, B., Little, T., & Card, N. (Eds.), Handbook of developmental research methods (pp. 725–741). New York: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
van Geert, P., Steenbeek, H., & Kunnen, S. (2012). Monte Carlo techniques: Statistical simulation for developmental data. In Kunnen, S. (Ed.), A dynamic systems approach to adolescent development (pp. 43–51). London: Psychology Press.Google Scholar
van Geert, P., & van Dijk, M. (2002). Focus on variability: New tools to study intra-individual variability in developmental data. Infant Behaviour and Development, 25, 340–374.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Verspoor, M. & Behrens, H. (2011). Dynamic systems theory and a usage-based approach to second language development. In Verspoor, M.H., de Bot, K., & Lowie, W. (Eds.),A dynamic approach to second language development (pp. 25–38). Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company.Google Scholar
Verspoor, M., de Bot, K., & Lowie, W. (Eds). (2011). A dynamic approach to second language development: Methods and techniques. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company.Google Scholar
Verspoor, M., Lowie, W., & van Dijk, M. (2008). Variability in second language development from a dynamic systems perspective. The Modern Language Journal, 92 (2), 214–231.Google Scholar
Vyatkina, N. (2012). The development of second language writing complexity in groups and individuals: A longitudinal learner corpus study. The Modern Language Journal, 96 (4), 576–598.Google Scholar
Vyatkina, N. (2013). Specific syntactic complexity: Developmental profiling of individuals based on an annotated learner corpus. The Modern Language Journal, 97 (S1), 11–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Witherington, D. (2007). The dynamic systems approach as metatheory for developmental psychology. Human Development, 50, 127–153.CrossRefGoogle Scholar