Bridging Gaps and Shaping Futures: Digital Informal Learning (DIL) and the Construction of Possible Selves in Chinese Higher Education

Zihao Liu¹Jian Zhang^2*Chixiaofei Liu²Qingwei He²

• ¹University of Nottingham, Nottingham, England, United Kingdom
• ²Xi'an Eurasia University, Xi’an, China

Digital informal learning has emerged as a critical phenomenon in higher education, offering a flexible supplement to traditional instruction and fostering personal as well as academic growth. This study examines how Chinese university students engage with digital informal learning and how their envisioned future identities, or possible selves, motivate and shape their learning behaviours. A mixedmethods design was employed, combining a survey of over 500 undergraduate students with in-depth interviews of 18 participants at a Chinese university. The survey results revealed that while students generally possess a limited conceptual understanding of digital informal learning, a substantial majority recognise its importance and integrate it into their daily study routines. Interview data further illustrated that students rely on digital resources to compensate for the constraints of conventional classroom settings, such as limited time and outdated materials, and to overcome inadequacies in teaching quality. Moreover, the findings suggest that the interplay between students' aspirations for an ideal academic self and the fear of academic failure drives their adoption of digital informal learning as both a coping mechanism and a pathway to self-improvement. These results not only underscore the dual role of digital informal learning in supplementing formal curricula and promoting self-directed growth but also highlight challenges such as fragmented knowledge acquisition and information overload. The study contributes to educational theory by extending the possible selves framework into the digital learning arena and offers practical insights for curriculum development, teacher training, and digital literacy initiatives. Ultimately, the research advances our understanding of how digital learning innovations can be harnessed to create more responsive and equitable educational environments.