Investigating the dynamic nature of L2 willingness to communicate

Dynamics of classroom WTC: Results of a semester study

“…As can be seen in the analysis of the self-ratings marked on the WTC grids, the students' readiness to speak during all the 7 classes reported here exhibited a considerable degree of fluctuation. WTC ups and downs were reported not only in the course of single lessons but also during specific tasks and activities, as was also established in the course of previous studies into classroom WTC (e.g., Cao & Philips, 2006;Cao, 2011Cao, , 2013Mystkowska-Wiertelak & Pawlak, 2014;Pawlak & Mystkowska-Wiertelak, 2015;Pawlak, Mystkowska-Wiertelak, & Bielak, 2016). The magnitude of these fluctuations differed between single lessons but also between individual students, and even if these differences were not conspicuous, as evident in the low values of standard deviation, the impact of individual characteristics cannot be excluded; however, it needs to be noted here that discussing WTC fluctuations of individual students was not the focus of the present study.…”

“…In MacIntyre and Legatto's (2011) study, which is not classroom-but laboratory-based, readiness to speak faltered due to anxiety and insufficient vocabulary resources. Similarly, Mystkowska-Wiertelak and Pawlak (2014) and Pawlak and Mystkowska-Wiertelak (2015) also report on shifts in WTC intensity, using a different data collection method, which required the respondents to indicate the level of readiness to engage in individual tasks performed in the course of a naturally occurring class they regularly attended. WTC was recorded in response to a beep heard at equal intervals of time (5 min.…”

“…The recognition of the role of context in the emergence of WTC has highlighted the dynamic character of the construct capable of fluctuating in different time scales, within a single class or a single task. Investigations into the dynamic character of WTC have differed considerably in focus and scope involving laboratory-style investigations, the prime examples being the application of the idiodynamic method by MacIntyre and Legatto (2011) or classroom-based studies like those conducted by Peng (2014), Pawlak and Mystkowska-Wiertelak (2015) or Pawlak, MystkowskaWiertelak, and Bielak (2016). Although some of the studies of classroom WTC looked into shifts in its intensity over different periods (cf.…”

“…MacIntyre & Legatto, 2011;MacIntyre, Burns, & Jessome, 2011;Mystkowska-Wiertelak & Pawlak, 2014). The changes in the intensity of L2 learners' readiness to engage in communication in the classroom context have been investigated in a number of studies attempting also to establish factors capable of stimulating or hindering WTC (e.g., Cao & Philip, 2006;Pawlak & Mystkowska-Wiertelak, 2015;Peng, 2014). Many of empirical explorations of L2 learners' WTC, although representing the ecological perspective, provide solely a snapshot of classroom reality, thus generating a question if such one-at-a-time picture frame can sufficiently accommodate diverse factors that impinge on learners' readiness to engage in communication.…”

The Application of the Problem-Based Learning Approach to English Class: Chinese-speaking Learners’ Willingness to Communicate

“…First, the study employed McCroskey"s (1992) WTC scale to measure EFL learners" WTC. Pawlak and Mystkowska-Wiertelak (2015) pointed out that the nature of WTC in a second language is complex, and has a dynamic character during one communicative event. As discussed in the literature review section, the influential components of WTC have not yet been identified completely.…”