Autonomous learning through audio-visual media: An investigation of motivations and strategies for English second language acquisition

The widespread proliferation of popular English language audio-visual media via the internet and digital technologies has given English language learners the ability to access a plethora of authentic English language resources at the touch of a button. Research related to acquisition through media has its origins in naturalistic theories such as Krashen’s (1985) Input Hypothesis and the concept of comprehensible input. Modern research indicates that utilising audio-visual media for learning can contribute to second language acquisition, albeit dependent on the application of strategies to direct learner attention to the language being presented (Vanderplank, 2019). Very little research has investigated what these strategies are, and none have investigated its relationship to motivational factors behind English audio-visual media use by learners. This study investigates the strategies, motivational factors, and the relationship between the two, in autonomous English language learners (n=17) who used audio-visual media for learning. An interpretivist multiple case study design was used, and data was gathered through exploratory semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. The findings demonstrate similar strategy implementation to what has been discovered in other literature (Danan, 2004; Vanderplank, 2019), yet suggest that for 85% of the participants the motivation to access the media itself preceded the motivation to learn English. A cyclical relationship is proposed, suggesting that the implementation of strategies may lead to improved attitudes and confidence towards English and audio-visual media, subsequently improving motivations to use audio-visual media, feeding once again into further strategy use. Although findings are representative of only a small number of cases and are therefore not generalisable, their implications hint at the need for further research related to autonomous audio-visual media learning and offer some limited suggestibility for policy and practice