This dissertation is an application of complex systems theory(CST)to the study of academic literacy in the foreign language context.CST originates in natural sciences,yet it has been applied various areas of human and social sciences,including second language acquisition(SLA).CST emphasizes the concept of ’interconnectedness’ and assumes that the behavior of a complex system emerges from the interactions of its components in a way that the whole is more than the sum of its parts.From this perspective,the study investigates the relationship between EFL students’ perceptions and academic literacy instruction.In particular,it seeks to more clearly delineate the complex nature of this relationship by attempting to determine whether and in what ways a focus on the multi-dimensionality of academic literacy informs prospect instruction designed to meet the needs of the students participating in the study as evidenced by their current level of academic literacy awareness.Academic literacy presents a number of challenges to L1 writers and even more challenges to L2 writers.To address this problem,the present research examines students’ perceptions of the factors that would enable them to face and overcome the challenges associated with L2 academic literacy development.In doing so,it sought to answer three sets of questions.First,how well matched are students in terms of their personal attitudes,cognitive skills,social practices,and macro-societal structures perceptions of academic literacy in a two-level EFL Master program?Second,what impacts,if any,do gender,age,and academic level have on academic literacy perceptions?In other words,do these demographic characteristics shape student’s academic literacy perceptions across the aforementioned dimensions?Finally,to what extent are these dimensions interconnected?And,what might the patterns of students’ perceptions indicate about L2 academic literacy as a complex system?To answer these questions,the researcher examined the academic literacy perceptions of students enrolled in the EFL Master program of the English department at Biskra University,Algeria,in fall 2016.Data were collected using a questionnaire as the main research instrument.Analyses for the present research were conducted in four phases:1)data preparation 2)descriptive analyses;3)ANOVAs and Pearson correlation and 4)structural equation modeling.First,data preparation involved hand-coding the survey responses into in an Excel sheet and checking the data for accuracy and missing values.After that,Statistical Package for Social Sciences(SPSS)and Analysis of Moment Structures(AMOS)programs were then used for data analysis.The findings provide evidence that the view of language learning and instruction from a complex systems perspective offers apparatus for explaining the extent to which SLA phenomena are interrelated.Patterns of interconnectedness in students’ academic literacy perceptions are identified and mapped onto a theoretical model.While it was originally hypothesized that academic literacy is a complex system composed of four subsystems impacting each other,the findings point to reciprocality within each sub-system.It is also figured out that in addition to reciprocal causation within each sub-system,three intriguing constructs can be identified:response mechanisms,feedback processes,and mutual regulation.At the level of personal attitudes,the present study indicates that majority of the respondents seem to have high motivation and positive perceptions yet they may need training on some areas such as strategic language switching and peer-review skills.At the level of cognitive skills,many students might be unaware of the importance of analytical reading which is necessary for steadfast academic literacy progress.At the level of social practices,the finding that students’ moderate awareness of social practices as compared to their awareness of the overall cognitive skills in the writing process points to the need for integrating approaches that emphasize the social nature of writing as a critical update to EFL academic literacy pedagogy in the study’s context.Regarding macro-societal awareness,the findings indicate that investigating students’ perceptions helps instructors reframe academic literacy assignments for EFL reading and writing courses and their assistance for sophisticated L2 literacy skills.Rather than suggesting that assignments be recast at local academic standards,it is recommended that additional opportunities for support and practice be built into literacy courses.Also,this study shows that gender and age of the respondents are not significant factors in shaping the perceptions of academic literacy.Academic level,however,seems to significantly influence students’ perceptions thereby providing preliminary evidence for the dynamic relationship between L2 literacy perceptions and the level of academic expertise.