Navigare tra lingue e tecnologie: pratiche d'uso dei media per l'apprendimento dell'inglese fuori dall'aula

This qualitative study analyzes the use of media in informal contexts for learning English as a second language, focusing on its impact on moti- vation to learn languages. It employs in-depth interviews based on the L2 Motivational Self System model. The participants, selected from a national quantitative study, include 26 students enrolled at the University of Salento, a medium-sized university located in southern Italy. The data reveal that access to media is primarily driven by personal interests and the need to compensate for the shortcomings of formal education, which tends to ne- glect the development of oral skills and limits language exposure to a nar- row variety of English. Students actively select oral and multimedia input, demonstrating both metalinguistic awareness—by reflecting on vocabulary and pronunciation—and metacognitive awareness. In this context, the lim- itations of their education in establishing new learning objectives become evident.