Informal Learning of English at University. A cross-sectional and longitudinal perspective

With English increasingly moving beyond the classroom and into informal settings, research on informal second language learning (ISLL) has emerged as a fruitful field of study, exploring both digital and real-world environments for language learning and use across Europe. The unprecedented availability of informal English input has paved the way for new media affordances through which the language can be accessed, used and appropriated by L2 learner-users. This book investigates how Italian university students access English spontaneously. A questionnaire survey gathered insights into participants’ patterns of exposure to different types of informal English input, from audiovisuals to face-to-face interactions, as well as into learner-users’ reasons for accessing L2 input informally. Moreover, a longitudinal study monitored the evolution of participants’ L2 spoken production, observing complexity, accuracy and fluency (CAF) trajectories to explore possible relationships between L2 development and frequency, intensity and type of exposure to informal English input. Findings highlight ongoing shifts in patterns of access among younger generations and provide insights into the role of L2 input in shaping new acquisitional profiles. Participants show distinct behaviours, attitudes and motivations towards the English language; individual factors that, alongside some specific elements such as immersion and register, appear to have influenced L2 development in different ways.