Learners’ Agency, Beliefs, Mindsets and Teacher Autonomy as Predictors of Willingness to Communicate in Online Learning

Abstract

English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) students’ willingness to communicate (WTC) is required both in face-to-face (F2F) and online learning. While literature had extensively explored students’ WTC factors in F2F learning, studies on students’ WTC factors in online learning were still limited. Hence, this exploratory factor analysis (EFA) study aimed at investigating the interplays among learner agency, learner beliefs, growth language mindset, and teacher autonomy support as predictors of students’ WTC in online learning by testing eight formulated hypotheses about the possible interplays. Using Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), we carried out the study with 367 EFL students from several universities in Indonesia who had experienced online English classes and invited them to voluntarily respond to an online survey questionnaire using a Google form. The results demonstrated positive and significant relationships among the variables, indicating that learner agency, learner beliefs, growth language mindset, and teacher autonomy support are significant predictors of WTC in online learning. EFL teachers might use the results of this study as a consideration to proactively encourage students’ WTC in online learning. Future research directions and other pedagogical implications are also discussed.