We spend so much time worrying about how our students will acquire language, we might find ourselves forgetting to consider what they might lose. But the reality of language attrition—the forgetting of learnt material—is a silent force in our classrooms. A recent study by researchers at Wuhan University of Technology decided to look into the phenomenon of how much language is lost when students are not actively studying.
The Study
Researchers tracked 110 university students (soon-to-be sophomores) over a summer holiday. They tested students’ vocabulary knowledge at the start of a break with a pre-test of 100 CET-4 words (vocabulary required for a standardized English proficiency test for Chinese university students) & again two months later with a post-test.
Crucially, they also recorded how much & in what ways students engaged with English during the holiday—whether through listening, reading, speaking, writing, or translation.
The Findings
The results were clear & revealing. Over half of the students (52.7%) showed measurable vocabulary attrition after just two months. But the rate of forgetting was far from random; it was powerfully shaped by two key factors:
- Attained Proficiency: This was the strongest predictor. Students who began the break with higher proficiency forgot significantly less. High-proficiency learners showed minimal attrition, while low-proficiency learners’ scores dropped dramatically. A strong foundation, it seems, is more resistant to erosion.
- Length of Exposure: The more students engaged with English during the break, the less they forgot. Those who had frequent contact (e.g., over 60 minutes daily) experienced the lowest attrition, while those with no contact suffered the highest. However, this effect interacted with proficiency—high-proficiency learners benefited more from exposure & were more resilient even without it.
The study was framed by Dynamic Systems Theory (DST), which views language as a complex, interconnected system where small changes can have big effects. This explains the interaction perfectly: a learner’s starting point (proficiency) sets the initial conditions of their linguistic system, shaping how it responds to external forces like lack of practice.
Teacher Takeaways?
- Focus on deep foundational mastery. Investing time to ensure students truly know vocabulary & structures, rather than just encountering them, pays long-term dividends in retention.
- Design “maintenance” tasks for breaks. Encourage manageable, engaging exposure during holidays—podcasts, short writing prompts, conversation apps—especially for intermediate & lower-proficiency learners.
- Prioritise productive skills for resilience. The study hinted that speaking & translation activities led to less attrition than passive listening or reading. Build in regular opportunities for students to actively produce language.
This research moves us beyond the simple fear of forgetting. It shows that attrition is a predictable process we can mitigate. The quality of initial learning & the continuity of engagement aren’t just about progress; they’re about preservation.
One thing the study didn’t look at is grammar. The focus was entirely on vocabulary attrition, which raises an interesting question for teachers: do grammatical structures fade in the same way, or are they more resilient once they’re embedded through use? Given how differently grammar & lexis are learned & practiced, this feels like a rich area for future research—& one with clear classroom implications, especially when we think about what we realistically ask learners to do when classes aren’t running.
What strategies do you use to help your students ‘hold on’ to language over school breaks?
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