Willingness to Communicate and Cross-cultural Adaptation: L2 Communication and Acculturative Stress as Transaction

Abstract

Although much research has focused on the influence of second language (L2) proficiency on L2 use and on outcomes of intercultural adaptation, these two strands have remained largely separate. This study examines the impact of willingness to communicate in the L2 (L2 WTC) on the daily hassles and stress of international students, with the aim of demonstrating a conceptual overlap of the L2 WTC model with theories of stress and cross-cultural adaptation that focus on a transactional person–environment fit. Participants included 104 Chinese-speaking students attending a British university. Structural equation modeling supported a model in which L2 WTC played a significant role in the experience of daily hassles related to communication difficulties, social isolation, and time and financial constraints. A second, similar model is also advanced in which communication difficulties, in particular, are afforded a unique role. Results support the appropriateness of locating L2 WTC within a general transactional framework of cross-cultural adaptation.