This study explores the integration of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in informal digital learning of English (IDLE) practices, focusing on its potential to enhance language learning outcomes and addressing the technological challenges language teachers face in utilising AI-based tools to facilitate second language acquisition. Based on the research context of IDLE and holistic learning ecology and drawing on the theoretical frameworks of technological pedagogical and content knowledge and social cognitive theory, we performed a mixed-methods investigation with an empirical experiment to assess the effectiveness of GenAI followed by semi-structured interviews. The results suggest that the GenAI-mediated IDLE practices effectively improve college students’ oral proficiency in English from both technological and humanistic perspectives. However, results also indicate that the GenAI conversational partner alone is not adequate to provoke continuous extramural GenAI-mediated IDLE practices. We discuss the theoretical and pragmatic significance of GenAI-mediated IDLE in educational equity and reformation.

Corpus-based language teaching is one area of second language (L2) pedagogy in which L2 teachers may benefit from extensive guidance on how to integrate digital tools into pedagogical practices. Direct corpus approaches like data-driven learning (DDL) cultivate learner engagement and language discovery. However, second language writing (SLW) teachers face significant challenges using corpora in the classroom, and these challenges often go unaddressed in language teacher education, particularly for in-service teachers. This paper reports on a case study in which six university SLW teachers participated in an online corpus-based pedagogy workshop. Teachers developed DDL activity plans and wrote in reflective diaries. The analysis of these artifacts shows that the teachers tended to follow one of two paths toward knowledge integration, as either Planners or Seekers, when implementing corpus activities in their classrooms. The teachers also reported increased confidence in applying direct corpus methods to their lessons by the end of the workshops, though they expressed the need for continued, long-term support.