UNTANGLING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AI-MEDIATED INFORMAL DIGITAL LEARNING OF ENGLISH, FOREIGN LANGUAGE ENJOYMENT, AND THE IDEAL L2 SELF: EVIDENCE FROM VIETNAMESE UNIVERSITY EFL STUDENTS

Artificial intelligence–mediated informal digital learning of English (AI-IDLE) has emerged as a prominent form of out-of-class language learning. Despite its growing prevalence, limited empirical attention has been paid to the ways in which motivational self-guides and positive emotional experiences jointly influence learners’ engagement in AI-mediated informal learning environments. Grounded in Dörnyei’s L2 Motivational Self System and perspectives from Positive Psychology in second language acquisition, this study investigates the predictive roles of the Ideal L2 Self, the Ought-to L2 Self, and Foreign Language Enjoyment (FLE) in shaping Vietnamese university EFL learners’ engagement in AI-IDLE. Survey data were obtained from 320 university students and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling. The findings reveal the presence of two complementary motivational pathways. Both the Ideal L2 Self and the Ought-to L2 Self exert significant direct effects on AI-IDLE, while also indirectly influencing engagement through FLE. Notably, the Ideal L2 Self exhibits a stronger relationship with enjoyment, whereas the Ought-to L2 Self demonstrates a comparatively stronger direct association with AI-IDLE. These results extend the applicability of the L2 Motivational Self System to AI-mediated informal learning contexts and highlight enjoyment as a critical affective mechanism that enhances the sustainability and quality of AI-supported English learning beyond the classroom.