Abstract
Willingness to communicate (WTC), which is defined as the intention to communicate given a choice, continues to establish itself as a determining construct in bringing about success or failure in learning a second language (Dӧrnyei, 2005, Peng & Woodrow, 2010). The majority of studies done on the issue are oriented towards ESL contexts leaving us with a gap in English as a foreign language (EFL) context literature. The paucity of studies in EFL contexts caused us to investigate whether WTC and language learners’ oral proficiency were related in an Iranian context. To this end, 70 male and female intermediate language learners learning English at a private institute were chosen as the participants of the study. The WTC questionnaire was given to the participants and a standard speaking test was administered. Also, individual semi-structured interviews with some of the participants were used to obtain supportive data. The results of correlational analyses revealed that there was a strong relationship between learners’ WTC and their oral proficiency with no significant gender difference. The possible reasons for the correlation are discussed with regard to different motivational, contextual, and attitudinal factors.
Highlights
Due to variability intrinsic to human behavior, social theories do not apply to all human beings even when all environmental factors are held constant
The paucity of studies in English as a foreign language (EFL) contexts caused us to investigate whether Willingness to communicate (WTC) and language learners’ oral proficiency were related in an Iranian context
There was a strong correlation between the two variables, (r = .356, n = 140, p < .005) with high levels of perceived control associated with lower levels perceived stress, showing that there was a positive correlation between the participantswillingness to communicate and their speaking proficiency
Summary
Due to variability intrinsic to human behavior, social theories do not apply to all human beings even when all environmental factors are held constant. One of the ID variables new to SLA scene is WTC defined as “an underlying continuum representing the predisposition toward or away from communicating given the choice” 538), or, put it “the intention to initiate communication, given a choice” The principal proponent of the adaptation of this L1 construct for L 2 studies was Peter McIntyre, but as MacIntyre, Baker, Clément, and Donovan (2003) pointed out, the need to conceptualize an ID variable that would explain the willingness to talk in contrast to the necessary aptitude was expressed as early as 1989 by Skehan when he wrote,“dealing with the willingness different learners have to talk in order to learn....a non-cognitive ID, may be altogether more elusive for researchers” (p.48)
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