Teachers, parents and partners as social mediators of L2 motivation among Italian informal users of English

The growing availability of English in digital environments has fostered new profiles of informal L2 learner-users characterised by autonomy and enjoyment. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 20 Italian university students, this study adopts a retrospective, longitudinally informed qualitative perspective to examine how engagement with English beyond the classroom—particularly through digital media—develops over time and shapes learners’ motivation and L2 identity. Findings indicate that early informal engagement is often driven by necessity, as English functions as the default language of online content but gradually evolves into preference-driven use, sustained by enjoyment and perceived authenticity. Participants also frequently trace their initial engagement to the influence of significant others, especially teachers and parents, who act as encouragers and linguistic role models. Interpreted within Dörnyei’s (2005, 2009) L2 Motivational Self System, the results suggest that informal practices and social mediation are closely intertwined in shaping learners’ motivational trajectories and developing L2 identities beyond the classroom.