Chapter 7
The elusive phase shift
Capturing changes in L2 writing development and interaction between
the cognitive and social ecosystems
This chapter explores phase shifts,
which occur when dynamic systems enter a period of fluctuation that results
in a new stable pattern (Larsen-Freeman
& Cameron, 2008). Phase shifts remain elusive in L2 writing
research due to a lack sufficiently dense data to detect them and a lack of
recognition when they occur. Moreover, the majority of L2 writing research
involving phase shift analysis focuses on cognitive factors analyzed with
quantitative tools, thus neglecting qualitative methods and the influence of
external social factors that may impact change. This chapter examines the
definition of phase shifts, reviews relevant complexity theory-inspired
quantitative and qualitative methodologies for analyzing L2 writing, and
proposes adapting quantitative descriptive research techniques (Ortega & Iberri-Shea, 2005) to
investigate social ecosystem variables that may lead to phase shifts.
Article outline
- Introduction
- What is a phase shift?
- The interacting social and cognitive ecosystems
- Cognitive ecosystems
- Social ecosystems
- Finding phase shifts
- Quantitative measurements for investigating the cognitive
ecosystem
- Qualitative analyses in the social ecosystem
- Finding control parameters using social ecosystem factors
- Discussion and conclusion
-
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Cited by (2)
Cited by two other publications
Wang, Huafeng & Chencen Cai
2023.
A dynamic systems theory perspective on L2 writing development.
Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching 17:4
► pp. 872 ff.
Fogal, Gary G.
2022.
Second language writing from a complex dynamic systems perspective.
Language Teaching 55:2
► pp. 193 ff.
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