Wander Lowie
Biographic Data
| ID | 1692472 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Wander Lowie |
| GIVEN NAMES | Wander |
| FAMILY NAME | Lowie |
| SIGNATURE | LOWIE W |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Groningen |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-2241-0276 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 27 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 260 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 26 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 1 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2005 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Dynamic Systems Theory Approaches to Second Language Acquisition
Dynamic systems theory (DST) is a theory of change. Starting in the 1960s, the theory has been used extensively in a wide variety of disciplines, from physics to biology and from meteorology to demography.
De Bot, Kees
Kees de Bot is Professor at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands, where he holds the chair in Applied Linguistics and is Vice Dean in the Faculty of Arts of the University of Groningen.
Beyond crisis narratives
The collective attempt of 17 established L2 researchers to synergize their work despite their sometimes-fundamental theoretical starting points has resulted in a valuable SI in The Modern Language Journal (Michel et al., 2025), in the tradition of The Douglas Fir Group (2016) and other collaborative achievements, like the Modern Language Journal 2019 Supplement. These initiatives were conceived to offer a broader perspective on second language le…
Forging common ground in second language acquisition and teaching
In this final article in this guest‐edited issue on synergies in second language acquisition and teaching (SLA/T), we attempt to bring together the main content of this issue in an overall, combined synergy statement, concluding this project as a whole. Let us remind readers of the project: A shared effort by 17 scholars taking 11 different perspectives on SLA/T is not the norm in our field. Our aim has been to promote the intermingling and cross…
Relationality, interconnectedness, and identity
This complex article has six subsections. Following a brief introduction, one team of three co‐authors and three single authors present compact statements of their distinctive individual research perspectives on second language acquisition and teaching (SLA/T): Atkinson, Mejía‐Laguna, and Ribeiro offer a sociocognitive perspective; Cappellini introduces an eclectic perspective in which online communication is analyzed multimodally; Kayi‐Aydar dev…
Language pedagogies and late-life language learning proficiency
Late-life language learning has gained considerable attention in recent years. Strikingly, additional language (AL) proficiency development is underinvestigated, despite it potentially being one of the main drivers for older adults to learn an AL. Our study investigates whether Dutch older adults learning English for three months significantly improve their AL skills, and if explicit or implicit language instruction is more beneficial. Sixteen le…
Understanding salient trajectories and emerging profiles in the development of Chinese learners’ motivation
Based on the theoretical framework of the L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS), the present study aims to make a methodological contribution to L2 motivation research. With the application of a novel growth mixture modeling (GMM) technique, the study depicted developmental trajectories of three motivational variables (ideal L2 self, ought-to L2 self, and L2 learning experience) of 176 Chinese tertiary-level students over a period of two semesters.…
Complex dynamic systems theory as a foundation for process-oriented research on second language development
In the past decades, complex dynamic systems theory (CDST) has been used as an important framework for studying second language development. CDST is a metatheory of change and focuses on processes. Even though it has been broadly accepted as an inspiring dimension of research in psychology, sociology and second language development, some scholars have raised questions about the methodologies used, the interpretation of the data, and the nature of…
Lexical Stress Identification in Cochlear Implant-Simulated Speech by Non-Native Listeners
This study investigates whether a presumed difference in the perceptibility of cues to lexical stress in spectro-temporally degraded simulated cochlear implant (CI) speech affects how listeners weight these cues during a lexical stress identification task, specifically in their non-native language. Previous research suggests that in English, listeners predominantly rely on a reduction in vowel quality as a cue to lexical stress. In Dutch, changes…
The Forest and the Trees
Studies looking into second language development have shown that findings about a group of learners cannot be transferred to individual learners. In this study, we explored ways to meaningfully group individuals starting from the data and investigated whether this grouping can give extra information about learning trajectories that goes beyond the individual learner. We followed 61 learners for 10 months, collected information about various indiv…
Language learning, motivation, and well-being in later life
Besides challenges such as age-related illnesses, our ageing world also brings opportunities for lifelong learning, and learning a language at an older age (later-life language learning; LLLL) has been named as one such opportunity. Moreover, lifelong learning, and by extension language learning, have been related to self-fulfilment and actualisation. However, socio-affective measures such as motivation and well-being have not been studied extens…
The reliability of single task assessment in longitudinal L2 writing research
Single task writing assessments used in longitudinal studies have raised concerns regarding their reliability. By means of Generalizability Theory (GT), this study investigated the reliability of L2 writing assessments scored on different CAF measures, focusing on a) the reliability of single task writing assessments and on the effects of b) task topics and c) task-taking occasions on assessment reliability. We investigated analytic quantitative …
From replication to substantiation
In contemporary methodological thinking, replication holds a central place. However, relatively little attention has been paid to replication in the context of complex dynamic systems theory (CDST), perhaps due to uncertainty regarding the epistemology–methodology match between these domains. In this paper, we explore the place of replication in relation to open systems and argue that three conditions must be in place for replication research to …
The relation between musical abilities and speech prosody perception
Previous research has suggested a relationship between musical abilities and the perception of speech prosody. However, effect sizes and significance differ across studies. In a meta-analysis, we assessed the overall size of this relation across 109 studies and investigated which factors moderated the effect. We found a significant, medium-sized positive correlation between musical abilities and speech prosody perception. This correlation was lar…
Unravelling the Idiosyncrasy and Commonality in L2 Developmental Processes
Learners’ self-initiated language learning with mobile technology occurring outside the classroom is often contextualized, heterogeneous, and idiosyncratic. In this study, we propose a time-series clustering methodology for researching informal mobile language learners’ learning and development of another language, with a view to unravelling the essential uniquenesses and commonalities in learners’ developmental processes. Intensive longitudinal …
The complex dynamics of adaptive teaching
Real-time verbal interactions between foreign language teachers and their students are of vital importance for language development, but classroom interactions are also multi-faceted and complex. The way a teacher understands and responds to learner utterances can be a powerful pedagogical strategy to scaffold learner language development. In this paper we present the Questions and Answers in English Language Teaching coding scheme which can be u…
Variability as normal as apple pie
In recent studies in second language (L2) development, notably within the focus of Complex Dynamic Systems Theory (CDST), non-systematic variation has been extensively studied as intra-individual variation, which we will refer to as variability . This paper argues that variability is functional and is needed for development. With examples of four longitudinal case studies we hope to show that variability over time provides valuable information ab…
Regional Variation in West and East Coast African-American English Prosody and Rap Flows
Regional variation in African-American English (AAE) is especially salient to its speakers involved with hip-hop culture, as hip-hop assigns great importance to regional identity and regional accents are a key means of expressing regional identity. However, little is known about AAE regional variation regarding prosodic rhythm and melody. In hip-hop music, regional variation can also be observed, with different regions’ rap performances being cha…
Dynamic Paths of Complexity and Accuracy in Second Language Speech
The present study investigated the developmental patterns of Chinese EFL(AQ) learners' oral language in terms of complexity and accuracy and looked into the dynamic interactions between them within the framework of Complex Dynamic Systems Theory (CDST). The data were analysed using dynamic analyses (moving min-max graphs, moving correlations and Monte Carlo Simulations). It was found that, firstly, at the group level, the general developmental tr…
Individual Differences and the Ergodicity Problem
Traditional research into individual differences (ID) in second language (L2) learning is based on group studies with the implicit assumption that findings can be generalized to the individual. In this article, we challenge this view. We argue that L2 learners do not form ergodic ensembles and that language learning data lack stability. The data from our experiment show that even highly similar learners in terms of ID show clearly different learn…
Variability and Variation in Second Language Acquisition Orders
The traditional morpheme order studies in second language acquisition have tried to demonstrate the existence of a fixed order of acquisition of English morphemes, regardless of the second language learner's background. Such orders have been taken as evidence of the preprogrammed nature of language acquisition. This article argues for a process‐based, dynamic explanation of development, in which each developmental step is based on the dynamic int…
Pink Noise in Language Production
Most theories of (second) language processing are based on component-dominant models that assume linear relationships between linguistic factors affecting language production and language comprehension. In this contribution we argue that in the wake of current nonlinear approaches to cognition, language processing must be seen in terms of interaction-dominant dynamics manifested in 1/f scaling relations. Our study showed that increased experience…
A Dynamic Approach to Second Language Development
Dynamic systems theory, a general theory of change and development, offers a new way to study first and second language development and requires a new set of tools for analysis of empirical data. After a brief introduction to the theory, this book, co-authored by several leading scholars in the field, concentrates on tools and techniques recently developed to analyze language data from a dynamic perspective. The chapters deal with the general tho…
Variability in Second Language Development From a Dynamic Systems Perspective
This article illustrates that studying intra‐individual variability in Second Language Development can provide insight into the developmental dynamics of second language (L2) learners. Adopting a Dynamic Systems Theory framework ( Thelen & Smith, 1994 ; van Geert, 1994 ) and using insights from microgenetic variability studies in developmental psychology ( Siegler, 2006 ), we focus on L2 systems during a time of rapid development, applying advanc…
Substitution of dental fricatives in English by Dutch L2 speakers
A Dynamic Systems Theory approach to second language acquisition
In this article it is argued that language can be seen as a dynamic system, i.e. a set of variables that interact over time, and that language development can be seen as a dynamic process. Language development shows some of the core characteristics of dynamic systems: sensitive dependence on initial conditions, complete interconnectedness of subsystems, the emergence of attractor states in development over time and variation both in and among ind…
Individual Differences and the Ergodicity Problem
Traditional research into individual differences (ID) in second language (L2) learning is based on group studies with the implicit assumption that findings can be generalized to the individual. In this article, we challenge this view. We argue that L2 learners do not form ergodic ensembles and that language learning data lack stability. The data from our experiment show that even highly similar learners in terms of ID show clearly different learn…
Variability and Variation in Second Language Acquisition Orders
The traditional morpheme order studies in second language acquisition have tried to demonstrate the existence of a fixed order of acquisition of English morphemes, regardless of the second language learner's background. Such orders have been taken as evidence of the preprogrammed nature of language acquisition. This article argues for a process‐based, dynamic explanation of development, in which each developmental step is based on the dynamic int…
Dynamic Paths of Complexity and Accuracy in Second Language Speech
The present study investigated the developmental patterns of Chinese EFL(AQ) learners' oral language in terms of complexity and accuracy and looked into the dynamic interactions between them within the framework of Complex Dynamic Systems Theory (CDST). The data were analysed using dynamic analyses (moving min-max graphs, moving correlations and Monte Carlo Simulations). It was found that, firstly, at the group level, the general developmental tr…
Complex dynamic systems theory as a foundation for process-oriented research on second language development
In the past decades, complex dynamic systems theory (CDST) has been used as an important framework for studying second language development. CDST is a metatheory of change and focuses on processes. Even though it has been broadly accepted as an inspiring dimension of research in psychology, sociology and second language development, some scholars have raised questions about the methodologies used, the interpretation of the data, and the nature of…
Regional Variation in West and East Coast African-American English Prosody and Rap Flows
Regional variation in African-American English (AAE) is especially salient to its speakers involved with hip-hop culture, as hip-hop assigns great importance to regional identity and regional accents are a key means of expressing regional identity. However, little is known about AAE regional variation regarding prosodic rhythm and melody. In hip-hop music, regional variation can also be observed, with different regions’ rap performances being cha…
From replication to substantiation
In contemporary methodological thinking, replication holds a central place. However, relatively little attention has been paid to replication in the context of complex dynamic systems theory (CDST), perhaps due to uncertainty regarding the epistemology–methodology match between these domains. In this paper, we explore the place of replication in relation to open systems and argue that three conditions must be in place for replication research to …
Substitution of dental fricatives in English by Dutch L2 speakers
Dynamic Systems Theory and Applied Linguistics
Substitution of dental fricatives in English by Dutch L2 speakers
A Dynamic Systems Theory approach to second language acquisition
In this article it is argued that language can be seen as a dynamic system, i.e. a set of variables that interact over time, and that language development can be seen as a dynamic process. Language development shows some of the core characteristics of dynamic systems: sensitive dependence on initial conditions, complete interconnectedness of subsystems, the emergence of attractor states in development over time and variation both in and among ind…
Variability in Second Language Development From a Dynamic Systems Perspective
This article illustrates that studying intra‐individual variability in Second Language Development can provide insight into the developmental dynamics of second language (L2) learners. Adopting a Dynamic Systems Theory framework ( Thelen & Smith, 1994 ; van Geert, 1994 ) and using insights from microgenetic variability studies in developmental psychology ( Siegler, 2006 ), we focus on L2 systems during a time of rapid development, applying advanc…
A Dynamic Approach to Second Language Development
Dynamic systems theory, a general theory of change and development, offers a new way to study first and second language development and requires a new set of tools for analysis of empirical data. After a brief introduction to the theory, this book, co-authored by several leading scholars in the field, concentrates on tools and techniques recently developed to analyze language data from a dynamic perspective. The chapters deal with the general tho…
Pink Noise in Language Production
Most theories of (second) language processing are based on component-dominant models that assume linear relationships between linguistic factors affecting language production and language comprehension. In this contribution we argue that in the wake of current nonlinear approaches to cognition, language processing must be seen in terms of interaction-dominant dynamics manifested in 1/f scaling relations. Our study showed that increased experience…
Variability and Variation in Second Language Acquisition Orders
The traditional morpheme order studies in second language acquisition have tried to demonstrate the existence of a fixed order of acquisition of English morphemes, regardless of the second language learner's background. Such orders have been taken as evidence of the preprogrammed nature of language acquisition. This article argues for a process‐based, dynamic explanation of development, in which each developmental step is based on the dynamic int…
Dynamic Paths of Complexity and Accuracy in Second Language Speech
The present study investigated the developmental patterns of Chinese EFL(AQ) learners' oral language in terms of complexity and accuracy and looked into the dynamic interactions between them within the framework of Complex Dynamic Systems Theory (CDST). The data were analysed using dynamic analyses (moving min-max graphs, moving correlations and Monte Carlo Simulations). It was found that, firstly, at the group level, the general developmental tr…
Individual Differences and the Ergodicity Problem
Traditional research into individual differences (ID) in second language (L2) learning is based on group studies with the implicit assumption that findings can be generalized to the individual. In this article, we challenge this view. We argue that L2 learners do not form ergodic ensembles and that language learning data lack stability. The data from our experiment show that even highly similar learners in terms of ID show clearly different learn…
Regional Variation in West and East Coast African-American English Prosody and Rap Flows
Regional variation in African-American English (AAE) is especially salient to its speakers involved with hip-hop culture, as hip-hop assigns great importance to regional identity and regional accents are a key means of expressing regional identity. However, little is known about AAE regional variation regarding prosodic rhythm and melody. In hip-hop music, regional variation can also be observed, with different regions’ rap performances being cha…
Variability as normal as apple pie
In recent studies in second language (L2) development, notably within the focus of Complex Dynamic Systems Theory (CDST), non-systematic variation has been extensively studied as intra-individual variation, which we will refer to as variability . This paper argues that variability is functional and is needed for development. With examples of four longitudinal case studies we hope to show that variability over time provides valuable information ab…
Unravelling the Idiosyncrasy and Commonality in L2 Developmental Processes
Learners’ self-initiated language learning with mobile technology occurring outside the classroom is often contextualized, heterogeneous, and idiosyncratic. In this study, we propose a time-series clustering methodology for researching informal mobile language learners’ learning and development of another language, with a view to unravelling the essential uniquenesses and commonalities in learners’ developmental processes. Intensive longitudinal …
The complex dynamics of adaptive teaching
Real-time verbal interactions between foreign language teachers and their students are of vital importance for language development, but classroom interactions are also multi-faceted and complex. The way a teacher understands and responds to learner utterances can be a powerful pedagogical strategy to scaffold learner language development. In this paper we present the Questions and Answers in English Language Teaching coding scheme which can be u…
Language learning, motivation, and well-being in later life
Besides challenges such as age-related illnesses, our ageing world also brings opportunities for lifelong learning, and learning a language at an older age (later-life language learning; LLLL) has been named as one such opportunity. Moreover, lifelong learning, and by extension language learning, have been related to self-fulfilment and actualisation. However, socio-affective measures such as motivation and well-being have not been studied extens…
The reliability of single task assessment in longitudinal L2 writing research
Single task writing assessments used in longitudinal studies have raised concerns regarding their reliability. By means of Generalizability Theory (GT), this study investigated the reliability of L2 writing assessments scored on different CAF measures, focusing on a) the reliability of single task writing assessments and on the effects of b) task topics and c) task-taking occasions on assessment reliability. We investigated analytic quantitative …
From replication to substantiation
In contemporary methodological thinking, replication holds a central place. However, relatively little attention has been paid to replication in the context of complex dynamic systems theory (CDST), perhaps due to uncertainty regarding the epistemology–methodology match between these domains. In this paper, we explore the place of replication in relation to open systems and argue that three conditions must be in place for replication research to …
The relation between musical abilities and speech prosody perception
Previous research has suggested a relationship between musical abilities and the perception of speech prosody. However, effect sizes and significance differ across studies. In a meta-analysis, we assessed the overall size of this relation across 109 studies and investigated which factors moderated the effect. We found a significant, medium-sized positive correlation between musical abilities and speech prosody perception. This correlation was lar…
Understanding salient trajectories and emerging profiles in the development of Chinese learners’ motivation
Based on the theoretical framework of the L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS), the present study aims to make a methodological contribution to L2 motivation research. With the application of a novel growth mixture modeling (GMM) technique, the study depicted developmental trajectories of three motivational variables (ideal L2 self, ought-to L2 self, and L2 learning experience) of 176 Chinese tertiary-level students over a period of two semesters.…
Complex dynamic systems theory as a foundation for process-oriented research on second language development
In the past decades, complex dynamic systems theory (CDST) has been used as an important framework for studying second language development. CDST is a metatheory of change and focuses on processes. Even though it has been broadly accepted as an inspiring dimension of research in psychology, sociology and second language development, some scholars have raised questions about the methodologies used, the interpretation of the data, and the nature of…
Lexical Stress Identification in Cochlear Implant-Simulated Speech by Non-Native Listeners
This study investigates whether a presumed difference in the perceptibility of cues to lexical stress in spectro-temporally degraded simulated cochlear implant (CI) speech affects how listeners weight these cues during a lexical stress identification task, specifically in their non-native language. Previous research suggests that in English, listeners predominantly rely on a reduction in vowel quality as a cue to lexical stress. In Dutch, changes…
The Forest and the Trees
Studies looking into second language development have shown that findings about a group of learners cannot be transferred to individual learners. In this study, we explored ways to meaningfully group individuals starting from the data and investigated whether this grouping can give extra information about learning trajectories that goes beyond the individual learner. We followed 61 learners for 10 months, collected information about various indiv…
Forging common ground in second language acquisition and teaching
In this final article in this guest‐edited issue on synergies in second language acquisition and teaching (SLA/T), we attempt to bring together the main content of this issue in an overall, combined synergy statement, concluding this project as a whole. Let us remind readers of the project: A shared effort by 17 scholars taking 11 different perspectives on SLA/T is not the norm in our field. Our aim has been to promote the intermingling and cross…
Relationality, interconnectedness, and identity
This complex article has six subsections. Following a brief introduction, one team of three co‐authors and three single authors present compact statements of their distinctive individual research perspectives on second language acquisition and teaching (SLA/T): Atkinson, Mejía‐Laguna, and Ribeiro offer a sociocognitive perspective; Cappellini introduces an eclectic perspective in which online communication is analyzed multimodally; Kayi‐Aydar dev…
Language pedagogies and late-life language learning proficiency
Late-life language learning has gained considerable attention in recent years. Strikingly, additional language (AL) proficiency development is underinvestigated, despite it potentially being one of the main drivers for older adults to learn an AL. Our study investigates whether Dutch older adults learning English for three months significantly improve their AL skills, and if explicit or implicit language instruction is more beneficial. Sixteen le…
Dynamic Systems Theory Approaches to Second Language Acquisition
Dynamic systems theory (DST) is a theory of change. Starting in the 1960s, the theory has been used extensively in a wide variety of disciplines, from physics to biology and from meteorology to demography.
Computer Science (20 works) · Psychology (17 works) · Linguistics (11 works) · EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning (8 works) · Mathematics (8 works) · Cognitive psychology (7 works) · Mathematics education (7 works) · Philosophy (6 works) · Artificial Intelligence (5 works) · Artificial Intelligence (5 works)