Abstract
This study examines the evolution of complexity, accuracy, and fluency (CAF) in the compositions of Japanese L2 university students over a semester. The study aimed to determine if any improvement in writing abilities had occurred and examine editing methods. 159 students from three different institutions participated. The research focused on determining the CAF's evolution over the previous year, identifying potential variations in editing techniques, and describing the connections between CAF dimensions. Results showed some improvement in accuracy, but a marked decline in complexity and fluency. The study also found a high correlation between clauses and word counts, mean length of T-unit (MLT), coordinate phrase of T-unit (CP/T) and clause per T-unit (C/T). Issues of syntactical complexity negatively correlated with EFCT, indicating that more syntactical complexity relates to decreased accuracy. The study also found significant differences among the three institutions, with Fujian University of Technology having the most fluency and accuracy. The findings suggest that teachers should support students in developing more complex syntactic structures, improving fluency, and using online grammar checkers more effectively.
Author Information
Robert Long, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Japan
Paper Information
Conference: SEACE2025
Stream: Foreign Languages Education & Applied Linguistics (including ESL/TESL/TEFL)
This paper is part of the SEACE2025 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Long R. (2025) Examining the Changes in Complexity, Accuracy, and Fluency in Japanese L2 Writing Over an Academic Semester ISSN: 2435-5240 The Southeast Asian Conference on Education 2025: Official Conference Proceedings (pp. 21-34) https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2435-5240.2025.3
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2435-5240.2025.3
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