Does Higher Grade Indicate More Complex Language Usage? Exploring Syntactic Complexity Development Among High School EFL Learners

IF 4.7 Q2 MATERIALS SCIENCE, BIOMATERIALS ACS Applied Bio Materials Pub Date : 2024-06-03 DOI:10.1177/20965311241256365

Weiran Wang (王威然), Wenjuan Qin (秦文娟), Linyi Wang (王琳艺)

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Abstract

This article aims to investigate the longitudinal Syntactic Complexity (SC) development of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners and the variations by grade level. This study conducts a longitudinal analysis of SC development among 199 high school EFL learners in eastern China. The corpus contains 920 argumentative essays on scientifically and socially contentious topics. We employ the Second Language Syntactic Complexity Analyzer (L2SCA) to examine syntactic features in these essays through 11 computerized indices measuring different dimensions of SC (i.e., coordination, subordination, phrasal complexity). Multi-level regression analyses are used to depict SC development and cross-level interactions are investigated to examine variations by grade. Results suggest that all SC indices except T-units per sentence exhibit varying growing trends. The results align with Biber's hypothetical stages of syntactic development, indicating learners’ progression toward greater subordination and phrasal complexity. Negative cross-grade interactions suggest that lower-grade students show heightened improvements in phrasal sophistication over time. The study portrays the developmental patterns of SC within and across grade levels, highlighting both group trends and individual variability in language development. It conceptualizes SC as a multidimensional construct and informs more precise measurement of SC features in writing assessment and instruction.

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年级越高，语言使用越复杂吗？探索高中 EFL 学习者的句法复杂性发展

本文旨在研究英语作为外语（EFL）学习者句法复杂性（SC）的纵向发展及其在不同年级的差异。本研究对华东地区 199 名高中 EFL 学习者的句法复杂性发展进行了纵向分析。语料库包含 920 篇关于科学和社会争议话题的议论文。我们使用第二语言句法复杂性分析仪（L2SCA），通过 11 个测量 SC 不同维度（即协调、从属、短语复杂性）的计算机化指数来研究这些文章中的句法特征。多层次回归分析用于描述 SC 的发展，跨层次的交互作用则用于研究不同年级的差异。结果表明，除每句 T 个单位外，所有 SC 指数都呈现出不同的增长趋势。这些结果与 Biber 假设的句法发展阶段相吻合，表明学习者正朝着更高的从属性和短语复杂性发展。跨年级的负交互作用表明，随着时间的推移，低年级学生在短语复杂性方面表现出更大的进步。研究描绘了 SC 在年级内和年级间的发展模式，突出了语言发展的群体趋势和个体差异。该研究将 SC 概念化为一种多维建构，并为写作评估和教学中更精确地测量 SC 特征提供了依据。

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来源期刊

ACS Applied Bio Materials Chemistry-Chemistry (all)

CiteScore

9.40

自引率

2.10%

发文量

464

期刊介绍： ACS Applied Bio Materials is an interdisciplinary journal publishing original research covering all aspects of biomaterials and biointerfaces including and beyond the traditional biosensing, biomedical and therapeutic applications. The journal is devoted to reports of new and original experimental and theoretical research of an applied nature that integrates knowledge in the areas of materials, engineering, physics, bioscience, and chemistry into important bio applications. The journal is specifically interested in work that addresses the relationship between structure and function and assesses the stability and degradation of materials under relevant environmental and biological conditions.