Contemporary young students in Asia and in the Nordic region are increasingly learning English outside the classroom by using technology (a.k.a. Informal Digital Learning of English [IDLE]). This comparative study examines to what extent "IDLE" influences Korean and Swedish students' "willingness to communicate in a second language…

This exploratory study examined the potential connections between informal digital learning of English (IDLE), strategic competence for cross-cultural communication and perception of varieties of English. A total of 266 Korean EFL university students, who had no overseas experience, filled in a questionnaire survey. Follow-up semi-structured…

This study investigated to what extent quantity (frequency/amount of time) and quality (diversity) of informal digital learning of English (IDLE) activities was conducive to second language (L2) vocabulary outcomes. Data (n = 77) were gathered quantitatively and qualitatively through a questionnaire, English vocabulary tests (ie, measuring…

While previous interventional studies on English as an international language (EIL) have focused on the role of teachers, recent studies have begun viewing how students engage autonomously in informal digital learning of English (IDLE) activities that are associated with their perception of English varieties and cross-cultural communication…

This study investigated the relationship among informal digital learning of English (IDLE) practice, a high-stakes English test, English productive skills, and perceptions of English as an international language (EIL). Eighty-nine English as a foreign language (EFL) undergraduate students across three South Korean cities participated in the study.…

This interdisciplinary research examines how Informal Digital Learning of English (IDLE) and the L2 Motivational Self System (consisting of "the ideal L2 self" and "the ought-to L2 self") are linked with Foreign Language Enjoyment (FLE). Together, these are flourishing research areas in computer-assisted language learning,…

This exploratory study aimed to identify a model that explains the relationship between Informal Digital Learning of English (IDLE) practice and English as an International Language (EIL) perception. The hypothesized model--"students' engagement in IDLE practice will be significantly and positively related to their perception of…

Purpose: This study (1) used a person-centered approach to identify specific subgroups of 1,265 EFL learners who participated in Informal Digital Learning of English (IDLE) activities, and (2) looked at how different IDLE profiles are related to important affective variables. Design/Methodology: To identify IDLE profiles, we used cluster analysis.…

Informal Digital Learning of English (IDLE) is a global phenomenon that represents one of the greatest advances for autonomous language learning outside the classroom in the past few decades. The power of IDLE lies in its capacity to compensate for inherent problems in language learning in classrooms, due to the "authenticity" of input…

While research on informal digital learning of English (IDLE) increases in the fields of teaching English to speakers of other languages and computer-assisted language learning, few studies have examined the relationship between quantity and diversity of IDLE practices and different language learning outcomes. To address this gap, data were…