INFORMAL ENGLISH LEARNING AT UNIVERSITY. A KALEIDOSCOPE OF VOICES AND PATHWAYS
May 9, 2025, 9:30 – 17:30
Università di Pavia, Aula Bottigella, Palazzo San Tommaso
Giuseppe Balirano, President of AIA – Introductory remarks
Sandro Caruana, University of Malta – Keynote Speaker
Paolo Della Putta, University of Turin, Discussant
Speakers from the PRIN Project Team
Maria Pavesi – Principal investigator and local coordinator, University of Pavia
Francesca Bianchi – Local coordinator, University of Salento
Silvia Bruti – Local coordinator, University of Pisa
Raffaele Zago – Local coordinator, University of Catania
Cristina Mariotti, University of Pavia
Emanuela Paone, University of Bologna
Irene Ranzato, Sapienza University of Rome
Nicoletta Simi, University of Pisa
Massimo Sturiale, University of Milan
Elena Ballante, University of Pavia
Camilla De Riso, University of Pavia
Maicol Formentelli, University of Pavia
Elisa Ghia, University of Pavia
Paola Leone, University of Salento
CONFERENCE DESCRIPTION
The ecology of language use and language learning has drastically changed in Europe and beyond, as media affordances around the individual L2 useroffer unprecedented opportunities to experience English in daily life. Inresponse to these evolving English-centred ecologies, research on second language acquisition (SLA) has increasingly shifted its focus from traditional classroom settings to non-institutional, naturalistic environments. This shift in emphasis has led to empirical investigations into the role of informal exposure to English across Europe, particularly in relation to media-driven and digitally mediated language contact.
The national PRIN project “The informalisation of English language learning through the media: Language input, learning outcomes and sociolinguistic attitudes from an Italian perspective” represents the first large-scale study in Italy to investigate the impact of emerging language environments upon the behaviour of university students and their English SLA. The study collected over 4,000 valid questionnaires and lexical tests from students enrolled at the Universities of Pavia, Pisa, Salento, and Catania, providing extensive empirical data on informal exposure to English. A series of interviews and longitudinal case studies were also conducted, allowing participants to articulate their experiences while enabling researchers to trace their L2 developmental trajectories beyond formal classroom settings.
In this one-day conference, we will present and discuss key findings of the PRIN project by placing them within the expanding field of Informal Language Learning. The study highlights the diverse and dynamic ways in which university students engage with English, revealing novel patterns in spontaneous, media-related language acquisition and appropriation. The event further serves as a platform for disseminating the research findings to both the academic community and the participants who made the data collection possible.
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Participation in the conference is free of charge. Registrations are open until full capacity is reached.
Scientific committee: Maria Pavesi, Giuseppe Balirano, Francesca Bianchi, Silvia Bruti, Francesca Costa, Bronwen Hughes, Maicol Formentelli, Elisa Ghia, Cristina Mariotti, Elisa Perego, Raffaele Zago
Local organising committee: Maria Pavesi, Luca Briatico, Camilla De Riso, Maicol Formentelli, Elisa Ghia, Elena Giribaldi
Contacts: camilla.deriso@unipv.it
Website: https://prin.unipv.it/index.php/en/
