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Research Methods in Complex Dynamic Systems Theory Approaches to Second Language Development
This edited volume is a timely and significant contribution to second language development research from a Complex Dynamic Systems Theory (CDST) perspective. The book addresses the growing need for consistent and practical methodologies for CDST research. Each chapter presents an innovative method or approach, illustrating its use in concrete applications to empirical studies and highlighting its value in capturing the dynamic, time-sensitive, and interconnected nature of L2 development. The volume emphasizes a shift from static outcomes to developmental processes, offering tools to explore intra-learner variability, network analysis, dynamic modeling, and more. By bridging theory and practice, it equips researchers with methodological guidance to investigate the process of second language development. Building on and extending previous volumes on CDST research methods by Verspoor et al. (2011) and Hiver and Al-Hoorie (2019), this book serves as a crucial reference for future CDST-informed research in Applied Linguistics.
[Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, 14] 2025. x, 222 pp.
Publishing status: Available
Published online on 11 September 2025
Published online on 11 September 2025
© John Benjamins
Table of Contents
- Foreword: Explore and explainDiane Larsen-Freeman | pp. vii–x
- Chapter 1. IntroductionWander Lowie, Rosmawati and Vanessa de Wilde | pp. 1–10
- Chapter 2. A non-linear Bayesian approach to examine the development of Brazilian Portuguese (L3) vowels by an Argentinean learnerRonaldo Lima and Ubiratã Kickhöfel Alves | pp. 11–34
- Chapter 3. Dynamic Structural Equation Modeling in response to the generalizability concern about CDST-inspired researchMajid Elahi Shirvan and Tahereh Taherian | pp. 35–56
- Chapter 4. Two stories on applying novel methods: General growth mixture modeling and multi-layered approachKyoko Baba and Ryo Nitta | pp. 57–79
- Chapter 5. A latent transition analysis of Chinese EFL learners’ motivational profiles: Configurations, stability, and transitionsHongying Peng and Hanjing Yu | pp. 80–101
- Chapter 6. Using Granger Causality to investigate causes of change in L2 oral developmentVanessa De Wilde, Simone E. Pfenninger and Freek Van de Velde | pp. 102–120
- Chapter 7. Applying retrodictive qualitative modeling to activity theory: A case of study abroad researchYukiko Oki and Masatoshi Sato | pp. 121–142
- Chapter 8. Unravelling the dynamics of language learning: Insights from temporal network analysisLani Freeborn and Björn S. Siepe | pp. 143–166
- Chapter 9. Variability analysis using CAF measuresMay Yue Wu, Rasmus Steinkrauss and Wander Lowie | pp. 167–190
- Chapter 10. Using a multifractal analysis approach to explore (multi)fractality in L2 writing in EnglishRosmawati and Wander Lowie | pp. 191–215
- Notes on contributors | pp. 216–219
- Index | pp. 221–222