The Impact of Communication Strategy Training on WTC and Strategy Use

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of communication strategy training on tertiary EFL students’ willingness to communicate (WTC) and their strategy use. The experimental group received a 7-week intervention involving communication strategy-based training. Both quantitative and qualitative data, including self-report questionnaires on communication strategy and WTC, transcriptions of think-aloud protocols, strategy logs, and short memos, were collected. Pre- and post-oral communication tasks were given to measure changes in participants’ actual use of CSs. Seven strategies, including code-switching, appeal for assistance, non-verbal expression, word coinage, avoidance, circumlocution, and approximation were introduced in a college language classroom setting. The results showed that the explicit communication strategy instruction had a positive impact on both WTC and strategy use. Specifically, there was a significant increase in the participants’ use of four compensatory strategies, approximation, word-coinage, code-switching, and non-verbal expression, after seven weeks of CS training. The findings suggest that the students’ increase in the use of four CSs was closely related to their increase of the awareness of the CSs. Therefore, raising learners’ awareness of CSs, training them to apply the strategies, and providing opportunities for practice can enhance their communication abilities.