Abstract
Willingness to communicate in a second language (L2 WTC) is a learner’s volitional participation in oral communication using L2. Previous research has expended considerable attention to the stable,...
Highlights
The concept of willingness to communicate in a second language (L2 Willingness to communicate (WTC)) refers to the learner’s readiness to speak in a second language when free to do so and has been increasingly shown to correlate with learners’ language fluency and proficiency as well as their communication skills (Derwing, Munro, & Thomson, 2008)
Participants Since the current study aimed to examine variations in postgraduate business students’ L2 WTC, six (n = 6) postgraduate students studying business communication (BC) were selected for the study using purposive sampling
The present study aimed to examine the complex nature of variations in postgraduate learners’ L2 WTC on multiple timescales including within conversation, between class sessions and over 14 classes
Summary
The concept of willingness to communicate in a second language (L2 WTC) refers to the learner’s readiness to speak in a second language when free to do so and has been increasingly shown to correlate with learners’ language fluency and proficiency as well as their communication skills (Derwing, Munro, & Thomson, 2008). The model presents the influence of trait-like and state-like variables on L2 WTC. While the state-like variables, including self-confidence and desire to communicate with a specific person/group at a specific time, exert an immediate influence on L2 WTC, the trait-like variables, such as interpersonal motivation and intergroup motivation, intergroup attitudes, social situation, communicative competence, intergroup climate and personality, exert an indirect, distal influence on L2 WTC. Much of the subsequent research inspired by the model has been characterised by studies focusing on the trait-like and stable features of learners’ L2 WTC. Studies adopting this model have been criticised for their overwhelming use of quantitative measures designed to examine the influence of underlying variables, mainly perceived communicative competence, communication apprehension and motivation in ESL contexts. Notwithstanding the significant contributions of these studies, we still lack a more comprehensive and elaborate theoretical perspective which allows a holistic understanding of the complex and dynamic nature of learners’ L2 WTC
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