International Journal of Language & Linguistics

Writing Development in Syntactic Complexity, Accuracy and Fluency in a Content and Language Integrated Learning Class
Hsuan-Yu Tai

Abstract
This study aimed to explore L2 writing development (as measured by syntactic complexity, accuracy and fluency) in a CLIL class by examining authentic texts from the class. 19 participants joined an 18-week CLIL class and a total of 57 written assignments from the beginning, the middle, and the final phase of the course were collected. By analyzing syntactic complexity, syntactic accuracy, and fluency across three different times, the findings revealed that the participants improved their accuracy and fluency but not complexity, suggesting that a CLIL class was beneficial for L2 writing improvement to some extent. Possible accounts for accuracy and fluency improvement include preference for Standard English, assessment criteria of the course, and practice effects. Further pedagogical implications were provided in response to the findings.

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