In contact with English. Informal Media-driven learning among Italian university students

The increasing presence of English in global communication and digital media has transformed the ways in which young people engage with language learning beyond the formal classroom setting. This volume presents the first-phase results of the national PRIN research project “The informalisation of English language learning through the media: language input, learning outcomes and sociolinguistic attitudes from an Italian perspective”, a large-scale, multi-layered investigation into the informal linguistic behaviours of Italian university students. While previous studies have offered valuable insights into localised and small-scale trends, this project marks the first systematic attempt to map and analyse the broader patterns of English language exposure and acquisition among Italian youth in diverse educational and social contexts.
The study aligns with a spatial perspective on Second Language Acquisition (SLA), emphasising the role of physical, virtual and mediated environments in shaping linguistic encounters and learning experiences. Recognising that informal engagement with English occurs in diverse, often private, spaces – including online platforms, entertainment media and interpersonal interactions – this research adopts a multifaceted methodology. By combining quantitative surveys, qualitative interviews and longitudinal analyses of individual learning trajectories, the project seeks to uncover how university students navigate and integrate English into their daily lives, particularly in an era of increased digitalisation and internationalisation.
The research primarily focuses on how media exposure affects language learning, a topic that has become increasingly significant in current discussions about SLA. Given the evolving nature of media, this study adopts a broad definition that encompasses both traditional and digital forms. While distinctions are often made between traditional media (e.g., books and television) and new media (e.g., internet-based platforms and digital tools for interacting with online content), this research acknowledges that these distinctions have blurred over time. Consequently, the term ‘media’ is used to encompass all analogue and digital formats, spanning traditional sources such as print and broadcast, as well as online entertainment, digital information platforms and the various technologies that facilitate access to, interaction with, and dissemination of content.
Drawing on theoretical frameworks like the Comprehension Hypothesis, the Interaction Hypothesis and usage-based approaches, the study explores how various media forms – such as films, television, online videos, social media and video games – act as sources of English input. The results add to the growing literature emphasising the importance of comprehensible and multimodal input in promoting language acquisition beyond traditional classroom environments.
Organised into three interconnected phases, this national PRIN project offers a thorough investigation of informal English learning. The first phase, outlined in this volume, looks at the media habits and language behaviours of students from four Italian universities (Pavia, Pisa, Salento and Catania), revealing differences in access, motivation and engagement. The second phase goes further into qualitative aspects, providing insights through interviews that reflect students’ attitudes, self-perceptions and motivations for using English informally. Lastly, the longitudinal aspect of the study monitors the developmental facets of informal language learning, shedding light on how media exposure to English affects language proficiency over time.
This volume is designed to give a thorough overview of the research process and its findings. Chapter 1 explores the r