Zhang and Lantolf (2015) show that the teachability of language is not limited
to fixed and predetermined sequences. Using meaning-focused instruction
organized according to Vygotskian principles of developmental education, the
participants in their study successfully learned grammatical forms that were
well beyond their expected developmental stage. This observation is fully compatible
with a DST approach to language development. Providing meaningful
instruction that requires active engagement may lead to perturbations of the
system. Following a perturbation, the system may reorganize to incorporate
the new information. The effect of a perturbation depends on the state of the
emerging dynamic network of coupled variables rather than on fixed cognitive
processing constraints.
Conclusion