There are many ways to measure students’ written second language (L2) performance. One way to measure L2 performance is using complexity, accuracy and fluency (CAF). Practitioners rarely use these measures; however, these measures are often used in L2 acquisition research. They became a popular area of research in the 1990s, although research on CAF measures began in the 1980s when researchers started to point out a difference between fluent and accurate language use. Complexity appeared later in the literature, starting in the 90s. CAF represent three dimensions of L2 performance, and out of the three proficiency measures, complexity is usually said to be the most controversial, complex and has been measured and defined in different ways. Since various definitions and measurements of complexity coexist, choosing which one to use is problematic for researchers. This presentation will examine the way researchers have measured complexity and point out the advantages, disadvantages and controversies relating to these measures. It will then attempt to propose the most up to date way of measuring complexity that would be the most appropriate for those researching L2 writing performance.

Authors:
Laurence Craven, American University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Laurence Craven is a University Assistant Professor/Lecturer at American University of Sharjah in United Arab Emirates

See this presentation on the full schedule – Sunday Schedule

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