The chapter discusses the question to what extent the effect of task complexity on linguistic performance in L2 writing and speaking is influenced by the mode in which the tasks have to be performed (oral versus written). The majority of studies which have been conducted so far in the framework of either the Limited Attentional Capacity Model (Skehan, 1998; Skehan & Foster, 2001) or the Multiple Attentional Resources Model (Robinson, 1995, 2007, this volume) concern oral task performance. While some studies have also looked at the effect of task complexity on the written production of L2 learners, there are no studies to our knowledge in which the effect of task complexity on linguistic performance in relation to mode has been investigated. For that reason a study was set up where two tasks of different task complexity, which already had been submitted to L2 learners in the writing mode, were presented to a group of L2 learners as speaking tasks. The participants in the oral mode were 44 learners of Italian as a second language, with Dutch as their mother tongue. Their performance was compared with that of another group of 91 Italian L2 learners with Dutch L1 who had performed the same tasks in the written mode. Scores on a cloze test were used as a measure of the general level of L2 proficiency of the learners. Our results demonstrate that both in the oral and the written mode task complexity mainly seems to affect accuracy, in particular with respect to lexical errors. We did not observe an interaction of task type and proficiency level, either in the written or in the oral mode.
2022. Task complexity, language proficiency and working memory: Interaction effects on second language speech performance
. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching 60:2 ► pp. 169 ff.
Bi, Peng
2020. Revisiting genre effects on linguistic features of L2 writing: A usage‐based perspective. International Journal of Applied Linguistics 30:3 ► pp. 429 ff.
2016. Mode in Theoretical and Empirical TBLT Research: Advancing Research Agendas. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 36 ► pp. 117 ff.
Gokool, Roshni & Marianna Visser
2021. IsiZulu task-based syllabus for medical students: Grading and sequencing doctor-patient communication tasks. South African Journal of African Languages 41:2 ► pp. 149 ff.
2013. The Cognition Hypothesis: A Synthesis and Meta-Analysis of Research on Second Language Task Complexity. Language Learning 63:2 ► pp. 330 ff.
Karges, Katharina, Thomas Studer & Nina Selina Hicks
2022. Lernersprache, Aufgabe und Modalität: Beobachtungen zu Texten aus dem Schweizer Lernerkorpus SWIKO. Zeitschrift für germanistische Linguistik 50:1 ► pp. 104 ff.
Kim, Hye Yeong
2017. Effect of modality and task type on interlanguage variation. ReCALL 29:2 ► pp. 219 ff.
2012. The Role of Task Complexity, Modality, and Aptitude in Narrative Task Performance. Language Learning 62:2 ► pp. 439 ff.
Kuiken, Folkert
2023. Linguistic complexity in second language acquisition. Linguistics Vanguard 9:s1 ► pp. 83 ff.
Kuiken, Folkert, Ineke Vedder, Alex Housen & Bastien De Clercq
2019. Variation in syntactic complexity: Introduction. International Journal of Applied Linguistics
Liao, Jianling
2023. Do learners use different topical progression patterns in L2 Chinese argumentative spoken and written discourse?. Chinese as a Second Language Research 12:1 ► pp. 37 ff.
Malicka, Aleksandra
2020. The role of task sequencing in fluency, accuracy, and complexity: Investigating the SSARC model of pedagogic task sequencing. Language Teaching Research 24:5 ► pp. 642 ff.
2019. Language Learning Through Writing: Theoretical Perspectives and Empirical Evidence. In The Cambridge Handbook of Language Learning, ► pp. 341 ff.
Payant, Caroline & YouJin Kim
2019. Impact of task modality on collaborative dialogue among plurilingual learners: a classroom-based study. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 22:5 ► pp. 614 ff.
Rahimi, Muhammad
2019. Effects of increasing the degree of reasoning and the number of elements on L2 argumentative writing. Language Teaching Research 23:5 ► pp. 633 ff.
Rahimi, Muhammad & Lawrence Jun Zhang
2018. Effects of Task Complexity and Planning Conditions on L2 Argumentative Writing Production. Discourse Processes 55:8 ► pp. 726 ff.
2016. Tasks Versus Conditions: Two Perspectives on Task Research and Their Implications for Pedagogy. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 36 ► pp. 34 ff.
Son, Myeongeun
2022. The role of modality and working memory capacity in L2 production. Language Teaching Research► pp. 136216882211352 ff.
Tamboli, Vasim
2021. Using Task-Based Speaking Assessment to Measure Lexical and Syntactic Knowledge: Implications for ESL Learning. In Task-Based Language Teaching and Assessment, ► pp. 293 ff.
2022. Comparing the longitudinal development of phraseological complexity across oral and written tasks. Studies in Second Language Acquisition► pp. 1 ff.
2017. ‘One Task Fits All’? The Roles of Task Complexity, Modality, and Working Memory Capacity in L2 Performance. The Modern Language Journal 101:2 ► pp. 335 ff.
Zhan, Ju, Qiyu Sun & Lawrence Jun Zhang
2021. Effects of manipulating writing task complexity on learners’ performance in completing vocabulary and syntactic tasks. Language Teaching Research► pp. 136216882110243 ff.
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 5 june 2023. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers.
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