JAPANESE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' WILLINGNESS TO USE ENGLISH WITH DIFFERENT INTERLOCUTORS

Abstract

Willingness to communicate (WTC) arose out of the search for a construct to explain why some people are more likely to speak in a particular communication situation than others facing the same situation (MacIntyre, Dörnyei, Clément, & Noels, 1998). This study investigated the extent to which 1,789 Japanese university students' willingness to speak and write in English to a Japanese student, an international student, a Japanese teacher of English, and a foreign teacher of English varied inside an EFL classroom. Using the L2 WTC Questionnaire (Weaver, 2005), it was found that the students' level of L2 WTC varied significantly according to their level of self-perceived ability to speak and write in English. At the group level, students in the highest self-perceived speaking ability group were more willing to speak in English to an international student or a foreign teacher of English. In contrast, students in the lowest self-perceived ability speaking group were more willing to speak in English to a Japanese student or a Japanese teacher of English. At the individual level, the average student from the different self-perceived ability groups displayed distinctive patterns of willingness to speak in English to the different types of interlocutors. For example, the average student from the low self-perceived ability group was more willing to speak in English to an international student or a foreign teacher of English in speaking situations/tasks requiring a limited or controlled use of English. In terms of writing, the average student from the high self-perceived ability group was not willing to write in English to a Japanese student when the writing task required a certain level of personal information. Students' responses to the Open-ended L2 WTC Questionnaire also revealed a number of factors that mediated their willingness to use English with different types of interlocutors. Collectively, the findings of this study not only highlight the interpersonal nature of L2 communication, but also provide important insights into how different types of interlocutors can help maximize students' level of L2 WTC, which might in turn lead to further advancements in their level of L2 communicative competence.