A Qualitative Study on Willingness to Communicate of Post—graduate Students

李錫嵐

【Abstract】This qualitative study attempts to explore the factors that affect WTC of post-graduate students. The findings suggest that the WTC of post-graduate students may be explained by a complex and dynamic interplay of personality， motivation， self-confidence and situational context.

【Key Words】Willingness to communicate， qualitative study； post-graduate students

1. Introduction

The goal of modern language learning and teaching is to encourage learners to use the language for meaningful and effective communication. It is true that the notion of Willingness to Communicate （WTC） plays a key role in learning a foreign language. This qualitative study attempts to explore the factors which affect the WTC of post-graduate students， in the hope of providing more enlightened insights to English learning and teaching.

2. Literature Review

Willingness to communicate has been defined by MacIntyre et al. （1998） as “a readiness to enter into discourse a particular time with a specific person or persons， using a L2” （p. 547）. MacIntyre et al （1998） proposed the pyramid model of WTC in L2 communication. The model is organized into six layers， proceeding from the most distal to the most proximal components.

Yashima （2002） found that international posture influences motivation， which， in turn， influences proficiency in English. Motivation affected self-confidence in L2 communication which led to WTC. Wang Yanyan （2004） found that there is a relationship between students L2 written performance and their willingness to communicate in class. Lu （2007） found that motivation was proved to be negatively correlated to willingness to communicate. Peng （2007） found a significant positive correlation between WTC in L2 and integrative motivation.

3. Methodology

3.1 Research Question.The research question is “What are the factors that affect the WTC of post-graduate students？”

3.2 Participants.The participants are three post-graduate students in Grade One in Tianjin Foreign Studies University.

3.3 Data Collection.The author used semi-structured interviews to collect data. The interview mainly focused on their WTC in daily life， especially their willingness to speak English.

3.4 Data Analysis.The author reviewed the interview materials and divided them into different categories to know the factors affect their WTC.

4. Results

Four themes emerged from the analysis of the data： a. Personality； b. Motivation； d. Self-confidence； e. Desire to communicate with a specific person/under specific situation.

From the interview， Li feels that she is introvert and she doesnt want to start a conversation in English. But Zhou and Wang think that they are extrovert and are more willing to communicate with others in English. The extrovert students have a higher perception of their communication competence， which will lead to higher level of willingness to communicate.

The participants also express their motivation of WTC. Zhou thinks that she wants to improve her English and prepare for her future job. Wang says that she wants to know western culture and thinking patterns. But Li feels that she is not motivated to communicate in English because she doesnt have partners to practice English here. She says that when she was a under graduate student， she was more motivated to speak English because she needed to pass the exam and she also had a lot of partners. But now she cant find this kind of feeling. What more， the focus of the post-graduate study is on research not language proficiency is another reason.

In the interview， all of the participant think that their oral English are not so good and native. Li thinks that she is afraid of other peoples critic and is not confident to communicate. But Zhou and Wang are more confident in their English proficiency and they are willing to communicate than Li.

In addition， the participants willingness to communicate depends on different situations. Under some circumstances they are more willing to communicate， for example， when they are interested in the topic or they feel less stressful to communicate with people. Otherwise， they are not willing to talk if they dont know the answer or they are not familiar with the topic. Li says that when she thinks she knows the answer， she is more willing to speak English. But if the partner is hypercritical， she may feel stressful and speak as less as possible. Zhou feels that when she is interested in the topic， she will join the communication actively， otherwise， she doesnt want to talk.

5. Conclusion

The results of the interviews show that personality， motivation， self-confidence and situational context may be the factors that affect the WTC of post-graduate students. The extrovert students and those who have higher motivation are more willing to communicate in English. What more， those who are more confident in their English competence have higher willingness to communicate in English. Last， the post-graduate students willingness to communicate depends on different situations.