Research on task complexity and its role in affecting learning outcomes in second/foreign language research has been the focal attention in the literature in recent decades. Yet, how to operationalise complexity becomes a key concern. In this talk, I present results of a bibliometric analysis of studies on task difficulty/complexity over a period of nearly 40 years from 1990 to 2018 using Cite Space V, with particular reference to Peter Skehan’s contributions (Wang & Zhang, 2018; Zhang & Wang, 2017). The research data, consisting of 164 research articles and their 1,706 citing references, were retrieved from the core collection of the Web of Science-SSCI database. The top 20 most often cited references were visualized and highlighted through a 406-node network of cited references. The results demonstrate that Skehan’s (2009) article was ranked as the most influential reference in studies on task difficulty or task complexity, which is clear evidence of Skehan’s far-reaching impacts on key areas in TBLT and SLA research (Rahimi & Zhang, 2028, 2019; Wang, Wu, & Zhang, 2020; Xu & Zhang, 2023; Xu, Zhang, & Gaffney, 2021). I also discuss recent developments along this line of research (see e.g., Xu et al., 2022, 2023) and conclude my presentation with a discussion on possible future directions.
Lawrence Jun Zhang（张军）
Lawrence Jun Zhang, PhD, is Professor of Applied Linguistics/TESOL and Associate Dean of the Faculty of Education and Social Work, University of Auckland, New Zealand. His major interests are in learner metacognition, the psychology of language learning and teaching, and teacher education, with particular reference to EFL reading/writing and ESP/EAP. He has published about 200 articles and reviews along these lines in leading international journals, including Applied Linguistics, Modern Language Journal, Studies in Second Language Acquisition, Modern Language Journal, System, Language Teaching Research, Learning and Instruction, TESOL Quarterly, Perceptual and Motor Skills, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, International Journal of Bilingualism, among others. He was the sole recipient of the “Distinguished Research in TESOL Award” in 2011 for his article, “A dynamic metacognitive systems perspective on Chinese university EFL readers”, published in TESOL Quarterly, 44(2). He is currently Co-Editor-in-Chief of System, serving on the editorial boards of seven international journals. In 2016 he was honoured with the recognition by the TESOL International Association (USA) with the award of “50@50”, which acknowledged “50 Outstanding Leaders” around the globe in the profession of TESOL at TESOL’s 50th anniversary celebration in Baltimore, Maryland. In November 2016, he was successfully elected to the International TESOL Association’s Board of Directors. In the Stanford University Rankings 2022, he was listed in the top 2% of Scientists in the World in the disciplinary areas of Linguistics/Applied Linguistics. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1025-1746
Website: http://www.education.auckland.ac.nz/people/lj-zhang
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