Introduction: Reconfigured Ecology of Language Acquisition.

The ecology of second language (L2) acquisition has been reorganised fundamentally because of the digital revolution. A large part of education has moved out of formal teaching and training environments to autonomous, informal online environments. YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram are the small examples of Social Networking Sites (SNS) that have become the main sources of real language exposure and communication (Barrot, 2023). This change requires a scrupulous analysis of the learner agency and metacognition level control, i.e. how the students go about negotiating the intrinsic complexity and attention costs of these dynamic digital spaces to attain learning goals.

Identifying the Core Research Problem

In a dynamic english as a foreign language (EFL) setting, such as nepal, where proficiency is a factor that determines socioeconomic and academic mobility, there is a rapid dependence on SNS to provide supplemental language practice. Nevertheless, preliminary observation indicated that there was an incongruence between the regular use of platforms and strategy learning efficiency. My thesis was thus aimed at more than a simple catalogue of patterns of usage, but to identify the determinants of successful Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) in these decentralised digital spaces.

Theoretical Framework: Strategy and Self-Regulation Integration

To examine this multi-dimensional phenomenon, a strong theoretical framework synthesis was conducted in the study. The fine-grained lexicon offered in the taxonomy of Language Learning Strategies (LLS) by

Oxford (1990) was a useful instrument for the study of cognitive and social-affective behaviours of learners. This framework was critically incorporated into the wider framework of Zimmerman (2002) of self-regulated learning that assumes that the learner should oversee his/her cognition, motivation and behaviour. Such a theoretical hybrid was necessary to determine the individual volitional problems of utilisation of immensely distracting SNS in the role of education.

The Approach and Discovery of the Core

A purposive sample of 61 nepalese higher secondary and MBA students was used in the study, whose design was a quantitative and descriptive survey. The data were gathered through a structured questionnaire, where Likert-scale questions were used, pegged on the LLS taxonomy of Oxford, and closed-ended questions were used to provide qualitative information.

It turned out that there is a paradox in the structure. Students had a very positive attitude towards SNS to learn and use advanced LLS, especially Metacognitive strategies, which means they have a very good strategic knowledge in a quantitative way. They have also indicated great perceived improvements on receptive skills like listening comprehension and vocabulary development according to self-assessment scales.

Nonetheless, the qualitative evidence, as indicated by the open-ended survey responses, was direct evidence of the contraventions of this strategic awareness. Students also talked about a widespread lack of ability to focus on the task, citing constant interruption by notifications, the urge to keep scrolling, and other aspects of the websites that were engaging, design-wise.

The Discovery of the Critical Finding: The Self-Regulation GAP (SRG)

This paradox is the main contribution of the study: the self-regulation gap (SRG). The SRG is the performance-blocking and critical disjuncture between the strategic knowledge (knowledge of what should be done) of a learner and volitional control (the practical ability to implement the strategies despite the ubiquitous digital distractions). This observation confirms the modern arguments that only having access to technology or the ability to know how to act does not suffice unless one has the evolved ability to behave digitally in a disciplined manner (Pawlak, 2021; Stockwell, 2022). The SRG indicates that the perceived benefits in passive and receptive skills (facilitated by simple exposure) were higher than those in active and productive skills, which demand enduring, concentrated practice, which is hampered by the gap.

Strategic Pedagogical Imperatives

The digital self-regulation gap gives essential practical guidance to the educational stakeholders. It shows that the first obstacle to effective autonomous digital language learning is not the absence of resources or the initial motivation, but the lack of digital self-management (DSM) skills.

As a result, there is a need to make a strategic change in the pedagogical priority. The digital self-regulation (DSR) training should be explicitly incorporated by educators and curriculum developers and chosen as a part of language content and strategy training.

Such a strategic change will require a complex approach:

• Training in attentional governance: This involves overtly instructing students on the advanced skills of controlling their attention, such as matching alerts, focus timer tools (e.g., Pomodoro technique), and launching special, minimal distraction online study spaces.
• Scaffolded and curated digital pathways: Constructing and marketing systematically, high-quality-filtered, resource pathways and the SNS ecosystem to lessen cognitive load and make strategic selections that direct learners to more valuable pedagogical resources.
• Task design to self-purpose: To convert passive consumer behaviour into learning behaviours of an active, responsible nature, design can create structured assignments requiring goal-focused, productive use of SNS features.

Conclusion

Through active intervention on the self-regulation gap, educational institutions have a chance to empower learners so that they can transform the enormous potential of digital spaces into quantifiable, productive and sustainable outcomes in language acquisition. My thesis statement is that the future of technology-enhanced language learning does not lie in the increased platform, but rather in sealing this vital gap between the strategic intent and digital self-control.
Sources
Barrot, J. S. (2023). As a language teaching and learning environment, the use of social networking sites. Language Teaching, 56(2), 181-196.
Oxford, R. L. (1990). The strategies of learning a language: What any teacher ought to know. Heinle & Heinle.
Pawlak, M. (2021). The studies of language learning strategies: Future, traps and difficulties. Language Teaching Research, 23(6), 817-835.
Stockwell, G. (2022). The language learner and technology: a dynamic view. Cambridge University Press.
Zimmerman, B. J. (2002). Turning into a self-managed student: Introduction. Theory Into Practice, 41(2), 64-70.