Willingness to Communicate in English among Trainee Teachers in a Malaysian Private University

Ahmed Fahim,Mogana Dhamotharan

doi:10.3844/jssp.2016.105.112

Abstract

Willingness to Communicate (WTC) in English has become a field of interest since the construct was introduced by McCroskey and Baer in 1985. This study, investigated 230 trainee teachers’ Willingness to Communicate in English in terms of gender, nationality, ethnic group, course and years of study at the Faculty of Education in a Malaysian private university. The results of the study revealed that participants had moderate willingness to communicate in English and preferred to initiate communication in English with friends rather than acquaintances or strangers. There were significant differences among participants in WTC based on their gender, ethnic group, type of study and the period they spent in the Faculty of Education. Changing classroom environment, grouping technique and providing opportunities outside the classroom for communicating in English through English language clubs, journeys to native speaking countries, debates, drama, songs and free writing competitions can help them communicate in English away from the stress caused by curriculum based activities linked to credits and grades.

Highlights

In spite of the high expectations stated in Malaysia Educational Blueprint (2013-2025), 64% of Malaysian tertiary education candidates were categorized as limited or very limited users of English in the Malaysian University English Test (MUET) which gives a complete reason for 48% of the of employers to reject those with poor English (MGBSLN, 2015), from
The results of overall Willingness to Communicate in English showed that participants were moderate in their willingness to communicate in English (M = 54.25, SD = 19.617)
Malaysian students’ scores for Willingness to Communicate with friends (M = 62.08, SD = 23.64) which is considered low compared to the norm developed by (McCroskey, 1992), (>99 for high and

Summary

Introduction

In spite of the high expectations stated in Malaysia Educational Blueprint (2013-2025), 64% of Malaysian tertiary education candidates were categorized as limited or very limited users of English in the Malaysian University English Test (MUET) which gives a complete reason for 48% of the of employers to reject those with poor English (MGBSLN, 2015), from (http://www.nst.com.my/news). Teachers lack variety of professional development fundamentals, struggle with inadequate linguistic knowledge and poor pedagogical skills (Fern and Jiar, 2012). Challenges facing both teachers and learners were figured out as a result of constant fluctuation in the policy related to English language in Malaysia (Ida Fatimawati, 2012). A twelve-item scale designed by (McCroskey, 1992) was used to measure students’ Willingness to Communicate in English. The respondents have to choose the percentage of the Willingness to Communicate (WTC). Scores were defined as the sum of the points that the respondent achieved based on the Willingness to Communicate (WTC) scale

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion