A Retrospective Longitudinal Study of Advanced Learners' Engagement in Language Learning: A Multiple Case Study

ABSTRACT This study explored learners’ engagement trajectories through the language learning histories of 11 university students majoring in English. The decision to focus on English majors was based on the assumption that their advanced proficiency and long‐term exposure to language learning would result in more critical incidents, greater self‐awareness, and deeper reflection than typically seen in less experienced learners. This study adopted a retrospective interview‐based methodology to document key phases of language learning experiences, spanning from kindergarten to university. As retrospective accounts are vulnerable to recall bias and reinterpretation, the timeline technique was used to support memory reconstruction. Participants created visual timelines marking the intensity of their engagement across successive educational stages, anchoring these to major life events and identifying critical incidents that shaped their engagement. Learners’ current engagement level, considered alongside their achievement, was treated as the end state against which trajectories, pathways of change, were examined. To reconstruct antecedents, semi‐structured interviews invited participants to reflect on their language learning histories, with timelines serving as prompts. This combined approach allowed for contextualized exploration of turning points, challenges, and developmental patterns in learners’ engagement over time.