ENGLISH-MAJOR STUDENTS’ USE OF DIGITAL RESOURCES FOR INFORMAL LANGUAGE LEARNING AT UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES, HUE UNIVERSITY

Abstract

This study aimed at investigating English-major students’ experiences with the use of digital resources for their informal language learning (ILL) at a university in Vietnam. The data collection instruments included questionnaires, which were delivered online to 91 participants, and semi-structured interviews carried out with 12 of these participants. The results show that the students reported to frequently utilize a variety of digital resources for ILL, with online/offline dictionaries and translators, TV programs, YouTube videos, social networking, and language learning sites being the most commonly used. While the findings indicate that AI platforms were not widely used by English-major students due to their recent introduction, most interviewees expressed interest in these new platforms. In addition, the results reveal that students engaged in ILL within both extracurricular and extramural contexts, indicating flexibility in their usage of digital resources. Finally, some implications for EFL teachers and students were provided for optimal use of ILL digital resources.