Adult L2 Maintenance After the End of Formal Instruction: Effects of Peak Proficiency, Period of Reduced Use, and Language Experience
Seungji Han, Kitaek KimAims and Objectives:
This study investigates foreign-language (FL) maintenance after formal instruction has ended, examining how peak proficiency (PP), the period of reduced L2 use (RP), and post-instruction language experience (LE) predict the maintenance of instructed L2 English among Korean adults.
Design:
A cross-sectional design was adopted. PP was operationalized using participants’ English level on South Korea’s nationwide College Scholastic Ability Test, obtained at the end of high school; RP was defined as the number of months elapsed since this point; and LE was measured as a composite index of self-reported post-instruction L2 use and exposure during RP.
Data and Analysis:
Eighty-eight Korean adults (19–38 years) completed a language background questionnaire, LexTALE, and a cloze test. Lexical (LexTALE) and integrative (cloze) scores were modeled using multiple linear regressions with PP, RP, and LE as predictors, followed by secondary full-sample moderation models testing whether PP moderated the effects of RP and LE.
Findings/Conclusions:
L2 experience declined sharply after high school but continued rather than ceased. Post-instruction LE consistently predicted current lexical and integrative proficiency, alongside a robust contribution of PP, whereas the duration of reduced use did not, showing only a limited task-specific moderation. Thus, continued LE may be a more meaningful predictor of L2 maintenance than the length of reduced use.
Originality:
This is the first study to examine adult L2 English maintenance by disentangling PP, the period of reduced use, and post-instruction LE as distinct predictors of current L2 proficiency.
Implications:
Findings highlight the need for L2/FL attrition research to treat time since instruction and continued experience as distinct constructs and underscore the joint importance of strong initial attainment and sustained post-instruction engagement for long-term L2 maintenance.