Exploring dynamism in willingness to communicate: A longitudinal case study

Cao, Yiqian (Katherine)

doi:10.1075/aral.36.2.03cao

Article published In: Australian Review of Applied Linguistics
Vol. 36:2 (2013) ► pp.160–176

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Exploring dynamism in willingness to communicate

A longitudinal case study

Yiqian (Katherine) Cao | Language and Society Centre, Monash University

Available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at rights@benjamins.nl.

Published online: 1 January 2013

https://doi.org/10.1075/aral.36.2.03cao

This paper examines dynamism in students’ situational willingness to communicate (WTC) within a second language classroom. This longitudinal study involved twelve English as a Second Language (ESL) participants who enrolled in an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) programme in New Zealand for five months. Based on data from classroom observations, stimulated-recall interviews and reflective journals, the in-depth analysis of a case study reveals that learners’ situational WTC in second language (L2) classes could fluctuate and dynamically change over time. This involved a process where situational WTC was jointly affected by learners’ cognitive condition and linguistic factors, together with classroom environmental factors. The in-depth qualitative analysis of a single case in individual lessons allowed us to see the dynamic nature of WTC.

Keywords: Willingness to communicate, longitudinal study, situational variable, triangulation

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