Willingness to Communicate Orally: The Case of Iranian EFL Learners

• Published in: Journal of psycholinguistic research Vol. 46; no. 6; pp. 1509 - 1527
• Main Authors: Tavakoli, Elaheh, Davoudi, Mohammad
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.12.2017; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age Differences; Attitude Measures; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Child; Classroom Communication; Classroom Environment; Cognitive Psychology; Communicative Competence (Languages); Competence; English; English (Second Language); English as a second language instruction; English Learners; Extraversion Introversion; Factor Analysis; Female; Foreign Countries; Gender Differences; Global Approach; Grade 7; Humans; Immersion Programs; Interaction; Interpersonal Communication; Interpersonal Relationship; Iran; Junior High School Students; Language; Language Acquisition; Language Planning; Learner Engagement; Learning - physiology; Literature Reviews; Male; Middle Aged; Motivation; Motivation - physiology; Multilingualism; Native Speakers; Native-nonnative speaker communication; Non English Speaking; Opportunities; Oral Language; Peer Relationship; Personality Traits; Psycholinguistics; Psychology; Questionnaires; Researchers; Second Language Instruction; Second Language Programs; Second language teachers; Speech - physiology; Teacher Student Relationship; Willingness to communicate; Young Adult; Iran; Interlocutor; EFL learner; Willingness to communicate; Oral communication
• ISSN: 0090-6905; 1573-6555; 1573-6555
• DOI: 10.1007/s10936-017-9504-0

This study sets out to develop a questionnaire on willingness to communicate (WTC) orally specific to English as a Foreign Language setting. It also aims to investigate the effect of three independent variables of interlocutor, age and gender on the same construct of WTC orally. Exploratory factor analysis resulted in three dimensions to WTC, namely WTC with teacher, with classmate, and stranger. Also Cronbach’s alpha of .86 indicated a high internal consistency. Mixed between–within subjects analysis of variance was used to assess the impact of interlocutors, age and gender on participants’ WTC across the three WTC subscale scores. The results showed no interaction effect between any of pairs of variables but the main effect of interlocutor on WTC orally. The results are discussed in the context of language teaching and some pedagogical implications are suggested.