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Syntactic Complexity Measures and their Relationship to L2 Proficiency: A Research Synthesis of College-level L2 Writing

Ortega, L.·2003·Applied Linguistics
DOI 10.1093/applin/24.4.492
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Abstract

In this study I evaluate the cumulative evidence on the use of syntactic complexity measures as indices of college‐level L2 writers' overall proficiency in the target language. Based on a synthesis of twenty‐five studies, I arrive at several substantive findings. First, I conclude that the relationship between L2 proficiency and L2 writing syntactic complexity varied systematically across studies depending on whether a second or a foreign language learning context was investigated and whether proficiency was defined by programme level or by holistic rating. Second, aggregating available cross‐sectional findings, I propose critical magnitudes for between‐proficiency differences in syntactic complexity for four measures. Finally, I interpret the limited longitudinal evidence to suggest that an observation period of roughly a year of college‐level instruction is probably needed for substantial changes in the syntactic complexity of L2 writing to be observed. I conclude the paper by discussing implications of these findings for future primary research.

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Metadata

Authors
Ortega, L.
Venue
Applied Linguistics
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published
2003-12-01
Volume
24
Issue
4
Pages
492-518
ISSN
  • 0142-6001 (ISSN-L)
  • 1477-450X
DOI
10.1093/applin/24.4.492
OpenAlex
W2090655260
Cited by
1,018
References
0
FWCI
32.50
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed

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