Willingness to Communicate and Second Language Proficiency: A Correlational Study
This study attempts to answer one straightforward question: “what is the relationship between students’ proficiency level and their willingness to communicate?”, i.e., their “readiness to enter into discourse at a particular time with a specific person or persons”, using an L2. Understanding the lin...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-09-01
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| Series: | Education Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/11/9/517 |
| _version_ | 1797519583257559040 |
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| author | Pornapit Darasawang Hayo Reinders |
| author_facet | Pornapit Darasawang Hayo Reinders |
| author_sort | Pornapit Darasawang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study attempts to answer one straightforward question: “what is the relationship between students’ proficiency level and their willingness to communicate?”, i.e., their “readiness to enter into discourse at a particular time with a specific person or persons”, using an L2. Understanding the link between proficiency and WTC is important as a great deal of effort is expended by teachers worldwide on encouraging learners to engage in L2, interaction more. If their willingness to do so depends (in part) on their proficiency level at the time, this may affect what type of activities and instruction are to be provided in class, especially compulsory English classes where students have less autonomy and motivation. To establish this relationship, we correlated 1836 Thai university students’ English Placement Test scores with their level of WTC as measured through a three-part survey instrument, with WTC operationalised as “self-perceived willingness to communicate”, “communicative self-confidence”, and “self-perceived L2 use”. We found a weak to moderate correlation between WTC and language proficiency, with the construct of “self-confidence” being the most strongly correlated. We discuss some of the implications of these findings in relation to EFL teaching. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:44:50Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c8481110fc0741648ed7b9f21c588c24 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-7102 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:44:50Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Education Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-c8481110fc0741648ed7b9f21c588c242023-11-22T12:45:25ZengMDPI AGEducation Sciences2227-71022021-09-0111951710.3390/educsci11090517Willingness to Communicate and Second Language Proficiency: A Correlational StudyPornapit Darasawang0Hayo Reinders1School of Liberal Arts, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok 10140, ThailandSchool of Liberal Arts, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok 10140, ThailandThis study attempts to answer one straightforward question: “what is the relationship between students’ proficiency level and their willingness to communicate?”, i.e., their “readiness to enter into discourse at a particular time with a specific person or persons”, using an L2. Understanding the link between proficiency and WTC is important as a great deal of effort is expended by teachers worldwide on encouraging learners to engage in L2, interaction more. If their willingness to do so depends (in part) on their proficiency level at the time, this may affect what type of activities and instruction are to be provided in class, especially compulsory English classes where students have less autonomy and motivation. To establish this relationship, we correlated 1836 Thai university students’ English Placement Test scores with their level of WTC as measured through a three-part survey instrument, with WTC operationalised as “self-perceived willingness to communicate”, “communicative self-confidence”, and “self-perceived L2 use”. We found a weak to moderate correlation between WTC and language proficiency, with the construct of “self-confidence” being the most strongly correlated. We discuss some of the implications of these findings in relation to EFL teaching.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/11/9/517willingness to communicateL2 proficiencyself-confidence |
| spellingShingle | Pornapit Darasawang Hayo Reinders Willingness to Communicate and Second Language Proficiency: A Correlational Study Education Sciences willingness to communicate L2 proficiency self-confidence |
| title | Willingness to Communicate and Second Language Proficiency: A Correlational Study |
| title_full | Willingness to Communicate and Second Language Proficiency: A Correlational Study |
| title_fullStr | Willingness to Communicate and Second Language Proficiency: A Correlational Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Willingness to Communicate and Second Language Proficiency: A Correlational Study |
| title_short | Willingness to Communicate and Second Language Proficiency: A Correlational Study |
| title_sort | willingness to communicate and second language proficiency a correlational study |
| topic | willingness to communicate L2 proficiency self-confidence |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/11/9/517 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT pornapitdarasawang willingnesstocommunicateandsecondlanguageproficiencyacorrelationalstudy AT hayoreinders willingnesstocommunicateandsecondlanguageproficiencyacorrelationalstudy |