University teachers’ perceptions of Online Informal Learning of English (OILE)

Online Informal Learning of English (OILE) involves the many different types of language practices that non-specialist EFL students of English are involved in on the Internet. This article reviews previous studies in the area and summarises the specific outcomes that OILE is thought to produce. It then presents an analysis of a survey of teachers’ cognitions concerning OILE from a sample of 30 professors of English working in French universities. It analyses survey data in various manners, offering insight into teachers’ awareness of the OILE phenomenon amongst students, the perceived or imagined effects of these practices on their students’ English and the ways they do or do not integrate these cognitions into their own teaching. Results indicate that many professors are aware of the types of input that their learners may be exposed to, but that they know little of the specifics and few make use of this knowledge in their English courses. In the discussion some questions are raised as to future forms for English language teaching to specialists of other disciplines.