Statistical learning refers to the ability to detect regularities from sensory input, including speech. Statistical learning plays a key role in language acquisition, particularly for complex structures, such as nonadjacent dependencies, that are ubiquitous in natural language syntax. This study investigates nonadjacent dependency learning in…

Informal Digital Learning of English (IDLE) is associated with willingness to communicate in a second language (L2 WTC). Although affective mediators (e.g. enjoyment and anxiety) have been found to influence the relationship between IDLE and L2 WTC, it is unclear whether cognitive factors influence IDLE's effects on L2 WTC. This study aims to fill…

Despite the range of varieties of Han Chinese, Mandarin is the most widely studied variety in research on Chinese as a heritage language (CHL) around the world. To better understand the role of other varieties of Han Chinese in addition to Mandarin, this article presents a synthesis of research on the learning of Chinese varieties in formal and…

Artificial intelligence-mediated informal digital learning of English (AI-IDLE) might strengthen second language (L2) learners' motivational self-concept (e.g., the ideal L2 self) and enhance their foreign language enjoyment (FLE) by enabling them to build confidence, engagement, and willingness to practice their English skills in a self-directed,…

This study explores adult migrants' formal and informal opportunities for learning their host country's dominant language: specifically, the availability, accessibility, and effects of these opportunities on the migrants' social integration. It prioritizes the migrants' experience by reporting findings obtained from analyses of questionnaire data…

This paper is concerned with the integration of informal language learning into university language modules in a foreign language environment. It begins by exploring the evolving nature of formal and informal language learning. This is followed by analysis of a pedagogic innovation intended to integrate foreign language activities in an informal…

Well-being development in young people's formative years is crucial for their transition to adulthood. While research on well-being in formal education contexts is expanding, little attention has been paid to out-of-school educational settings, particularly supplementary tutoring for disadvantaged students. Adopting Sirgy's concept of positive…

Online informal language learning has surged due to the growing interaction on social networking sites, such as TikTok and YouTube. One vital interaction method is through comments, revealing insights into learner behaviors and thoughts. Concurrently, the "Korean Wave" has made Korean a sought-after language. This study examined comments…

Despite a growing body of research demonstrating the pluralistic nature of English today, ELT globally still tends to uphold traditional 'native-speaker' norms. A Global Englishes language teaching (GELT) approach to teacher education is one way of breaking down that gap, yet it is not well known how the effects of this approach might hold up over…

This study examined how informal Conversations in English (CIE) groups helped migrants gain cultural knowledge about communicating in the United States and how the CIE groups facilitated the process of language socialization. The Ethnography of Communication (EC) and Cultural Discourse Analysis (CuDA) were used to understand the connection between…

This volume focuses on the learning of host-country languages by migrants in Europe. It identifies, clarifies, and offers insights into issues and central questions related to the learning of host-country languages with an emphasis on adolescent and adult language learners in formal and informal settings. The book draws on data collected following…

Based on Fredrickson's (2001) broaden-and-build theory, this study investigates how Foreign Language Enjoyment (FLE; consisting of "teacher appreciation, personal enjoyment," and "social enjoyment") mediates the relationship between Informal Digital Learning of English (IDLE) and EFL secondary students' willingness to…

The research study explored online language learners' self-directed language learning (SDLL) experiences, benefits, motivations, and challenges when employing educational tools like Duolingo in an out of classroom context. To gain insights into SDLL, in-depth and semi-structured interviews with 10 Duolingo users were conducted. Study results…

This study examines creative uses of emerging image-based social media for informal language learning. Adopting the ecological concept of affordances, it investigates new technological features on Instagram and TikTok and how they are utilised as resources for language learning. Using public data of Instagram photo/video and TikTok video posts,…

Background: As more people around the globe become immigrants or refugees, an increasingly popular subsection of research has aimed to investigate how these populations use mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) to learn the language(s) of the host country. Objectives: This study examines how the language learning, inclusion and self-regulation…