How Social Support and Foreign Language Anxiety Impact Willingness to Communicate in English in an EFL Classroom

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of social support and foreign language anxiety (FLA) on learners’ willingness to communicate (WTC) in English (L2) inside the classroom in an EFL context of Pakistan. The study administered adapted questionnaires on willingness to communicate (WTC), social support and foreign language anxiety (FLA) to 200 undergraduates of University of Balochistan, Quetta, Pakistan. To analyse the data, both descriptive and inferential statistics were performed in the SPSS. The findings on the social support revealed that father’s support, teachers’ support, best friends’ support, and other friends’ support exerted impact on learners’ L2 WTC. Additionally, anxiety also negatively and significantly predicted L2 WTC with a medium effect size (f2 = .26). These findings signify that provision of social support and means to minimize L2 anxiety can help L2 learners enhance their volitional readiness for L2 communication. The findings of this study have implications for EFL classroom participation in the target language and offer an insight for the policy and planning for the use of English language in an EFL context.

Willingness to communicate in relation to language use among Pakistani undergraduates: A sociocultural perspective

“…The findings are in line with previous research. For instance, Kalsoom et al (2020) found that the participants in her study received more social support from their friends, whereas the support from mothers and siblings was negligible for communicating in English in class. The informants were not encouraged by mothers and siblings on WTC in English.…”

“…The participants used less English language with their neighbours and friends. Nevertheless, previous research showed that friends play an essential role in engendering learners' WTC (Ali, 2017;Jung, 2011;Kalsoom et al, 2020;MacIntyre et al, 2001;Mari et al, 2011). Ali (2017) found that Pakistani learners had more WTC with their friends than with acquaintances and strangers.…”

“…To reflect upon the undergraduates' WTC L2, the researcher utilised a quantitative approach using the survey design. Quantitative data assist a researcher to obtain factual information (Kalsoom et al, 2020). Kalsoom et al (2020) further asserted that results achieved from numerical data, such as questionnaires, offer accurate, complete, and deeper insight into the researched phenomenon.…”

EFL Learners’ Willingness to Communicate, Language Learning Orientation, and Social Support in Kampung Inggris Pare

“…Studying English in Pare make them separate with family and friend. Support from Family and siblings were not correlated significantly (Kalsoom et al, 2020). This condition make them only get support from teacher and other friends, the people who could meet the most while they are living in Kampung Inggris.…”

Teachers’ Perception about English as a Medium of Instructions: Evidence from the Government Higher Secondary Schools of Sindh, Pakistan

“…Where the global village extends its areas and relations of teaching and learning from internal to external connections i.e. the support of father, mother, teachers, friends, classmates, public and media to support and appreciate learners' willingness to communicate in English (Kalsoom, Soomro & Pathan, 2020) to increase and enhance the motivation and confidence (Fallah, 2014). The importance of English language cannot be ignored due to someone's physical, personal, psychological and sociological status and contribution (Varela, Polo, Garcia & Mertinez, 2010) towards the growth and development of the world and humanity to maintain peace and prosperity, which is considered as sociopolitical demand (Mansoor, 2003).…”