Self-Esteem, Willingness to Communicate, and Oral Production: The Case Study of Iranian Intermediate EFL Students

Abstract

Oral production in general and lecturing in particular plays a significant part in any academic field, especially in TEFL. This study aimed to illuminate and investigate the two psychological and crucial factors influencing the oral production: Willingness to Communicate (WTC) and Self-Esteem. An attempt was made to assess the relationship among WTC, Self-Esteem, and Oral production. In so doing, after homogenizing the students as Intermediate ones via a placement test, two questionnaires of WTC (McCroskey, 1987, 1992) and Self-esteem ( Sorensen, 2006) were administered to 34 intermediate students. Having administered the questionnaires, the researcher asked the subjects to deliver a lecture on general and controversial topics. Based on the questionnaires, the subjects were divided into four groups: 1) High WTC, High self-esteem, 2) High WTC, Low self-esteem, 3) Low WTC, High self-esteem, and 4) Low WTC, Low self-esteem. The data collected from the questionnaires as well as the scores given to their oral productions were analyzed through SPSS (16.00). Results indicated statistically significant differences between the two groups of High WTC, High Self-esteem and Low WTC, Low Self-esteem. The former group outperformed the latter one. The outcomes of this study could have benefits for both foreign language teachers and learners. They both can attain better results by focusing more on these two psychological factors in their roles. The findings of the present study demonstrated that more concentration ought to be placed on these two psychological factors in order to enhance students’ oral performances.