Indonesian EFL Learners’ Willingness to Communicate Development: Stories from Informal Digital Learning of English

Ability to initial a conversation or be able to communicate in the second language is seen to be an optimum in second language acquisition. However, this ability seems to be lack most of practice in the second language learning, particularly to English as a foreign language (EFL) students. As a result, the less communicative practice they have achieved, the less willingness to communicate (WTC) in English would be developed accordingly. In order to activate the communication practice in English for the EFL students, a means of engaging synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) in the language class instruction is concerned. To this end, the current study aims to examine and understand whether an engagement of dual-modalities SCMC in terms of text SCMC and audio SCMC would make an influence to the EFL students' WTC in English. Regarding the additional environment settings with the instruction, the relationship of students' WTC and confidence in English within each environment setting was examined. In the meantime, feedback gathered from the EFL students on what WTC behaviors would greatly affect their WTC in English was also investigated. Total of 32 first year college students were recruited for ten weeks for the experiment. A mixed method examination was applied to gather data from questionnaires as well as open-ended questions. The results identified positive correlations between students' WTC and confidence in English in both text and audio SCMC while no correlation was revealed in the ftf communication. Several WTC behaviors were rated greatly with feedback to affect their WTC in English correspondingly. Therefore, a summary was discussed to the dual-modalities of SCMC as well as the influence of WTC behaviors on WTC in English to EFL students.

The present study aimed to investigate Turkish EFL learners’ perceived levels of willingness to communicate (WTC) in English inside and outside the classroom. The study also aimed to explore whether there is a statistically significant difference between their in-class WTC in English and out-of-class WTC in English. The study, which employed a quantitative research design, was conducted with the participation of 701 EFL learners enrolled in the departments of Tourism Guidance and Tourism Management at Balıkesir University Faculty of Tourism located in Balıkesir, Turkey. The data collection instrument included a scale which measures the participants’ perceived levels of WTC in English. The data were analyzed descriptively through IBM SPSS 21. The findings of the study indicated that EFL learners have a moderate level of WTC in English. The findings also showed that there was a statistically significant difference between the participants’ perceived levels of their in-class WTC in English and their out-of-class WTC in English. It was found that they are more willing to communicate in English outside the classroom than they are inside the classroom. In the light of the findings, some practical recommendations were also noted.

University students around the world learn English as a foreign language (EFL) as it is considered vital for their post-education opportunities locally and internationally. Optimising English language learning in EFL classrooms at the university is thus important. This study examined the roles of classroom support (teacher-to-class support, self-to-class support and peer-to-class support) and psychological needs satisfaction in Japanese university students' willingness to communicate (WTC) in English in the EFL classroom. Harnessing self-determination theory and drawing on a sample of 396 students from five Japanese universities, single (students) and multilevel (students and classrooms) structural equation models were run to elucidate the process implicated in students' WTC in English in the EFL classroom. The study found that classroom support for EFL learning predicted psychological needs satisfaction in the EFL classroom and that psychological needs satisfaction predicted students' WTC in English in the EFL classroom. In addition to these direct effects, psychological needs satisfaction significantly mediated the links between classroom support and WTC in English. Our results shed light on the role of classroom support in fostering students' needs satisfaction and WTC in English in the EFL classroom. We discuss how our results can help teachers consider the role of support in creating an optimal learning environment in the EFL classroom.

This study examined grit and the willingness to communicate (WTC) in English, in an English-medium-instruction (EMI) academic context, by using mixed-methods research to combine quantitative research data (using a questionnaire) and qualitative research data (based on semi-structured interviews) to respond to three research objectives: 1) to investigate the level of grit and WTC in English of Chinese graduate students in an EMI academic context; 2) to explore the relationships between grit and WTC in English of Chinese graduate students in an EMI academic context; and 3) to examine how gritty students persist in maintaining their interest in using English to communicate in an EMI academic context.Sixty-six Chinese graduate students studying in a Bilingual Education Program in a Thai EMI academic context were randomly selected as questionnaire respondents.Nine gritty students were then voluntarily recruited from among the 66 for semi-structured interviews.The questionnaire findings showed that the Chinese graduate students had a moderate level of grit (mean = 2.75, SD = 0.76) and WTC in English (mean = 3.48, SD = 0.76), and there was a significant positive correlation between grit and WTC in English in an EMI academic context (p = 0.00, r = 0.52).Additionally, the findings were enhanced by incorporating specific instances of strategies suggested by gritty students in the semi-structured interviews.These strategies included language mediation, language tool assistance, and language interaction.The findings further support the role of grit in shaping the WTC in English of the Chinese graduate students with respect to the EMI context.The article suggests future research to design interventions and to incorporate strategies to enhance Chinese graduate students' grit and WTC in English in similar EMI academic contexts, as well as to foster the development of their overall academic goals more generally.

The main goal of modern second language (L2) pedagogy is to engender effective communication among its learners. Willingness to Communicate (WTC) has emerged as the most vibrant topic in L2 pedagogy, especially in the last two decades. A plethora of research on students’ views about their WTC has been conducted in a variety of contexts. However, research on teachers’ views about their students’ WTC in English is still in its infancy. Thus, this study investigated ESL teachers’ views about their undergraduates’ WTC in English inside the classroom. The cluster sampling technique was used to collect data from 80 ESL teachers from eight universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The results revealed that the teachers viewed the undergraduates’ level of WTC as high in most classroom situations, such as during groups, during activities with the same and opposite gender, when given preparation time, seated in the middle of the class, and in front of the whole class. However, students showed a moderate level of WTC in situations such as sitting in front of the class and at the back of the class. A one-way ANOVA was performed to examine the differences between different classroom situations. The results showed significant differences in the teachers’ views about their students’ WTC in most classroom situations. Thus, the current study affirms that WTC is a dynamic variable that changes from situation to situation.

This study looks at the effect of instructor directed feedback and peer directed feedback in a university-level English discussion class on students’ willingness to communicate in English. Willingness to communicate (WTC) in another language reflects the extent a person will readily use a second language in a variety of contexts and can be influenced by both individual character traits, the social situation, and perceptions of one’s own second language ability. Both instructor lead feedback and peer lead feedback can improve students’ WTC in a foreign language, and to determine which mode of feedback is best suited to this purpose, an experiment was conducted using groups of first-year English Discussion classes. During regular class periods, either instructor lead feedback sessions or peer lead feedback sessions were conducted across two distinct sets of classes. To evaluate the effectiveness of these feedback styles in improving students’ WTC in English, the results of WTC pre-test and post-test surveys were compared across both sets of classes. Results showed that there was no significant improvement in WTC for the group that received instructor lead feedback, while the improvement in WTC for the student lead feedback group was statistically significant. These results suggest that student directed feedback is superior with regards to increasing learners’ WTC in English.

Low willingness to communicate (WTC) in English among Asian students, particularly Chinese students, is known as the mute English phenomenon, where students remain silent during learning. This study aimed to identify the determinants of Chinese students' WTC in English within a classroom context and examine the mediating role of self-perceived communication competence. The sample consisted of 400 Chinese university students taken from five public universities in Shaanxi Province, China. The influence of the ideal L2 self and the classroom environment on WTC as well as the mediating role of self-perceived communication competence were analyzed with partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Results showed that Chinese university students’ WTC in English was influenced by their ideal L2 self and the classroom environment, with the former exerting a stronger influence. Together, these two factors explained 52.6% of the variance in WTC (R² = 0.526, p < 0.01). The relationships between these variables were significantly mediated by students' self-perceived communication competence. This study offers new insights into the determinants of WTC among Chinese university students, with the implications of these findings discussed in this paper.

The present study was undertaken to investigate whether 1) there is any significant difference between EFL and EAP learners in terms of willingness to communicate, 2) there is any significant difference in WTC of Iranian EFL/EAP learners with 1- Native speakers, 2- Nonnative speakers and 3- In class context, and 3) there is any significant difference between male and female EFL learners in terms of willingness to communicate. To these ends 363 undergraduate students (131 EAP students and 232 EFL students) studying at Bu-Ali Sina University-Hamedan and Azad University of Mashad during the academic year of 2013-2014 participated in this study. Data were collected through a 5 point Likert-scale Willingness to Communicate in a Foreign Language Scale (WTC-FLS) questionnaire containing 21 statements. The instrument was composed of three subscales measuring, 1- willingness to communicate with native speakers of English (WTC-NS), 2- willingness to communicate with foreigners who are not native speakers of English (WTC-NN), and 3- willingness to communicate in the school context (WTC-SC). Using factor analysis and pilot testing, the questionnaire was found to have an acceptable validity rate. Also, using Chronbach’s alpha, the reliability of the questionnaire was estimated to be 0.93. Using SPSS, the results of independent samples t-test indicated that, overall, there was a significant difference between EFL and EAP learners in terms of their willingness to communicate. Furthermore, the results of one-way ANOVA for subscales of WTC-FLS revealed a significant difference in WTC of both EFL and EAP learners with native speakers, nonnative speakers and in class context. That is while EFL learners were more willing to communicate with native speakers of English and less willing to communicate with nonnative speakers of English, EAP learners were found to be more willing to communicate with native speakers of English and less willing to communicate in class context. Finally, no significant difference was found between male and female EFL learners in terms of willingness to communicate. Implications and recommendations for future research are also addressed.

The principal goal of L2 education is to enhance learners’ willingness to communicate (WTC). Hence, this survey study was undertaken with the purpose of exploring Indonesian EFL learners’ WTC especially in a classroom context or the so-called Instructional WTC (IWTC) in order to know the conditions triggering their willingness and unwillingness to communicate using L2. This survey applied descriptive quantitative method where 100 EFL learners from three State Universities in Indonesia were involved as the respondents. The respondents are the English students of IAIN Curup Bengkulu, Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta and Universitas Musamus Merauke Papua. Those universities represent three of five major islands in Indonesia. A questionnaire was distributed to the respondents in order to explore their WTC in six IWTC components comprising communicative self-confidence, integrative orientation, situational context of L2 use, topical enticement, learning responsibility, and off-instruction communication. The findings revealed that group size, classroom environment, students’ cohesiveness, familiarity to the topic, degree of topic preparation, classroom seating arrangement, gender, self-awareness, and familiarity with interlocutors were the factors that affected learners’ WTC. Further studies are highly recommended to deeply explore the teaching activities done by teachers by considering the influential factors of learners’ willingness and unwillingness to communicate as an effort to maximize their WTC.

In an era of increasing global connectivity, acquiring a global perspective (GP) and being able to communicate in English are important for both personal and professional development. People with a GP are expected to be more willing to engage in intercultural activities, and more willing to communicate in English. Although previous studies have focused on having a GP and willingness to communicate (WTC) in English, few have investigated whether there is a correlation between these two variables. This study, conducted at a Chinese university, aimed to determine the relationship between GP and WTC in English. Data were collected from students via a questionnaire (n = 114) and interviews (n = 7) at the end of the autumn semester in 2018. The findings demonstrate that the students’ GP and their WTC in English through the English curriculum did not progress to a significant extent, and their GP and WTC in English were correlated. Furthermore, three themes that affected the interviewees’ WTC were extracted from the interviews: global cognition, self-actualization, and intercultural experience. These findings suggest that it would be beneficial to learn English by developing a GP, and that educators can enhance students’ WTC by helping them cultivate that perspective.

Many Malaysian students struggle with English communication after 11 years of learning from primary school to secondary school. Despite extensive research, there is a gap in gender-based studies on learner's willingness to communicate (WTC) in Malaysian settings. Prior findings also reveal that early teens are getting actively engaged in digital communication in the current cyber age and those indications have derived the present study to investigate on the influence of gender and the effectiveness of CMC tool in fostering WTC in English. 224 secondary school students' WTC was measured using a survey to ascertain the influence of gender, and the effectiveness of the CMC tool in raising students' WTC in English was examined using a non-equivalent quasi-experimental study. The survey's Mann Whitney U-test results show male and female learners' WTC significantly differ from one another (U = 5171.5, p = 0.03). Analysis of mean rank reveals that female has higher WTC than male. While using the CMC tool, learners' WTC significantly differs from those who learn in a regular classroom setting (U = 605, p = 0.01), based on findings of a non-equivalent quasi experimental study. The analysis revealed that both genders were more likely to communicate in English and were more involved in their learning, partly due to their ability to express opinions verbally and through text, emoji, and other forms of communication. The study also showed that a person's WTC is influenced by their personality, and gender did influence willingness to communicate in English in the Malaysian context.

The article aims to examine older learners’ points of view concerning their in-class will- ingness to communicate (WTC) in English and to identify their expectations regarding an English teacher. The instrument was a questionnaire that comprised – among others – of questions referring to variables that could exert an impact on third-agers’ WTC in English in class. The factors which were used as options in the closed and open-ended questions in the study had been identified by the third agers as the ones that positively or negatively shaped their in-class WTC in an earlier piece of qualitative research (Borkowska 2021a). The data analysis revealed that the informants (63 older participants) reported an eagerness to communicate in English, and they perceived speaking with the teacher as the most motivating type of interaction. The most crucial components of language instruction that boosted older adults’ WTC was gentle error correction, a friendly atmosphere, and teacher support that seemed to have a positive effect on their lower self-esteem. Similarly, an empathetic and patient instructor could be of great help in diminishing seniors’ self-depreciating views. In contrast, negative teacher attributes (e.g., anxiety, criticism) could lead to inhibiting the older participants’ WTC and active involvement during English classes.

This study examined Omani EFL learners’ perceptions toward their willingness to communicate (WTC) in English. To this end, 204 students majoring in English language at a private university in Oman were assigned a questionnaire adapted from McCroskey’s (1992) WTC scale to determine possible effects of communication and affective variables on their WTC in English. After assessing the normality distribution of the data and the reliabilities of the scales, descriptive analyses were used to characterize the participants’ WTC. Also, repeated measures ANOVA analyses were conducted to measure the effect of different interlocutor types and the context type on the participants’ WTC. Overall, the results showed that the Omani students had fairly low WTC in English. Their WTC significantly varied based on the interlocutor types and the context types. It was also found that the participants had moderate motivation to learn EFL and positive attitudes toward English learning situations and the L1 community.

Bu çalışmada araştırmacıların amacı, Türkiye'deki bir devlet okulunda öğrencilerin İngilizce konuşma istekliliğini tespit etmek ve bu istekliliğin öğretmenler tarafından nasıl etkilendiğini incelemektir. Araştırma, özellikle öğrenci-öğretmen etkileşimlerinin dil öğrenme süreçlerine olan etkisini ele almış ve öğretmenlerin sadece geleneksel eğitim rolünde kalmayıp, aynı zamanda öğrenme danışmanı olarak da hareket ettiklerini vurgulamıştır. Çalışmada karma yöntem araştırma modeli kullanılmıştır. Van ilindeki bir devlet lisesinden kolay örnekleme yoluyla seçilen 40 lise öğrencisi katılımcı olarak belirlenmiştir. Veri toplama araçları olarak İletişim İstekliliği Ölçeği (İİÖ), Bu Sınıfta Neler Oluyor (BSNO) Anketi ve yarı yapılandırılmış sorular kullanılmıştır. Nicel veri analizinde, değişkenlerin normal dağılım testi, t-testi, ANOVA, Pearson Korelasyon Analizi, Basit ve Çoklu Doğrusal Regresyon Analizleri gibi yöntemler kullanılmıştır. Analiz sonucunda, sınıf atmosferi, öğretmen desteği ve öğrenci kaynaşması ile İngilizce konuşma isteği arasında pozitif ilişkiler bulunmuştur. Nitel analizler ise, motivasyon, olumlu geri bildirim, bireysel ilgi, öğretmen teşviki, etkileşimli sınıf etkinlikleri ve günlük İngilizce kullanımının, öğrencilerin konuşma isteğini artıran başlıca faktörler olduğunu ortaya koymuştur. Sonuçlar, öğrencilerin dil öğrenme deneyimlerinin geliştirilmesi için olumlu bir sınıf ortamı, etkileşimli öğretim yöntemleri ve destekleyici öğretmen iletişiminin önemini ortaya koymaktadır.

The purpose of this study is to explore the participants’ general willingness to communicate (WTC) levels in communicative pair or small group activities in English lessons which were taught via different mediums like face-to-face or online (during the COVID-19 pandemic). In order to address this aim, a quantitative research method was adopted in the study. A total of 88 students enrolled at the School of Foreign Languages of Izmir Institute of Technology participated in the study. The quantitative data were gathered from the participants through a questionnaire (WTC in English scale, by Peng & Woodrow, 2010). The results showed that all the participants had a moderate level of WTC in English. The study provides several recommendations for researchers, institutions and language teachers.