Journal Screenshot

International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences

Open Access Journal

ISSN: 2222-6990

Willingness to Communicate Among Pre-University ESL Learners: Teachers’ Perceptions and Teaching Strategies

Nur Sakina Yusri, Nur Ainil Sulaiman

http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v14-i8/22448

Open access

In many regions of the world, the necessity to promote learners' willingness to communicate (WTC) has become a primary aspect of language instruction. Sensing the importance of WTC in ESL education, this study aims to explore Malaysian pre-university ESL teachers’ perceptions towards learners’ WTC and the teaching strategies employed to enhance it in ESL classrooms. The researcher employed qualitative means by employing semi-structured interview with 7 pre-university ESL teachers in providing extensive insights. The findings of this study depicts a concerning perceptions towards pre-university ESL learners’ WTC, where five teaching strategies were discussed by the participants in promoting learners’ WTC which comprises teacher immediacy, corrective feedback strategies, positive classroom climate, topic selection, and awareness raising strategies. This study implies that pre-university ESL teachers play a crucial role in reducing learners’ apprehension to communicate using English language where a variety of teaching strategies should be integrated together in maximising their communicative potentials.

Ahmad, W., Jamil, M. F., & Lidon, S. N. (2022). Factors Influencing Willingness to Communicate in A Community College ESL Classroom. Journal of Islamic, Social, Economics and Development (JISED), 7(46), 335 - 340.
Amini, A., & Weisi, H. (2021). The intersectionality of teacher immediacy, emotioncy and willingness to communicate in higher education context. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education.
Ayedoun, E., Hayashi, Y., & Seta, K. (2019). Adding communicative and affective strategies to an embodied conversational agent to enhance second language learners’ willingness to communicate. International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education, 29(1), 29- 57.
Baharum, N. N., Kadir, N. A. A., Farid, S. N. N. M., Shuhaimi, N. ‘Izzah M., Rahim, W. A., Razali, A. B., & Samad, A. A. (2021). MUET English Examination as a Predictor of Academic Achievement for TESL Teacher Trainees at a Public Teacher Education Institution in Malaysia. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 10(3), 307–319.
Bakar, A. L. A., Swanto, S., Din, W. A., & Ationg, R. (2020). Preliminary study on the influence of willingness to communicate (WTC) among Malaysian pre-university students. EProceeding of the International Conference on Education, Social Sciences & Technology, 3-4 December 2020. 5-11.
Basöz, T., & Erten, I. H. (2019). A Qualitative Inquiry into the Factors Influencing EFL Learners' In-Class Willingness to Communicate in English. Novitas-ROYAL (Research on Youth and Language), 13(1), 1-18.
Chen, X., Dewaele, J. M., & Zhang, T. (2021). Sustainable development of EFL/ESL learners’ willingness to communicate: the effects of teachers and teaching styles. Sustainability 2022, 14(1), 396. 1-21.
Darasawang, P., & Reinders, H. (2021). Willingness to communicate and second language proficiency: A correlational study. Education Sciences, 11(9), 517.
Ducker, N. (2021). Protecting and enhancing willingness to communicate with idiodynamic peer-peer strategy sharing. System, 103, 102634.
Fallah, N. (2014). Willingness to communicate in English, communication self-confidence, motivation, shyness and teacher immediacy among Iranian English-major undergraduates: A structural equation modelling approach. Learning and Individual Differences, 30, 140-147.
Jahedi, M., & Ismail, L. (2020). Factors Affecting ESL Students' Willingness to Communicate in English Classroom Discussions and Their Use of Linguistic Strategies. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 8(8), 3360-3370.
Khalid, A. T. (2018). The Impact of Communication Strategies Instruction on Kurdish EFL Students’ Willingness to Communicate in Kurdistan. Journal of Raparin University, 15(5), 193-214.
Krishnan, S. K., Yaacob, A., & Veloo, A. (2019). The Relationship between ESL Matriculation Students’ Malaysian University English Test (MUET) Results and their Academic Achievement. Language & Translation, 7(3), 11-18.
Kun, Y., Senom, F., & Peng, C. F. (2020). Relationship between Willingness to Communicate in English and Classroom Environment. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 8(9A), 41-50.
MacIntyre, P. D., Dörnyei, Z., Clément, R., & Noels, K. A. (1998). Conceptualizing willingness to communicate in a L2: A situational model of L2 confidence and affiliation. The Modern Language Journal, 82(4), 545-562.
Naaim, N. A. B., & Hashim, H. B. (2019). The importance of social learning strategies in enhancing students’ speaking skills in MUET. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, 9(7), 68-81.
Nilsson, E. (2021). Breaking down barriers: A qualitative study on willingness to communicate in EFL classrooms through perspectives from teachers in Sweden. 1-26.
Othman, J., & Nordin, A. B. (2013). MUET as a predictor of academic achievement in ESL teacher education. GEMA online journal of Language Studies, 13(1), 99-111.
Pandapatan, S. A. T., Alipolo, A. M., Guimba, W. D., & Morohombsar, S. K. (2022). A Mixed Method Study on Grade 10 ESL Learners’ Willingness to Communicate. International Journal of Linguistics, Literature and Translation, 5(1), 101-109.
Parnabas, J., Aziz, A., Sivaraj, M. R., Yusof, M. A. I., Adnan, M. R. A. R., Shahrill, M. Z., & Raja, T. (2022). Pre–University Students’ Learning Style for Malaysian University English Test.
Saidi, S. B. (2020). Willingness to communicate in English among non-English major Malaysian Undergraduates. Kresna Social Science and Humanities Research, 1-6.
Shaffer, A. R. (2019). Understanding the dynamic nature of willingness to communicate in L2 classroom interaction and the influence of L2 investment. Temple University.
Shamsudin, M., Othman, M., Jahedi, M., & Aralas, D. (2017). Enhancing English Learners' Willingness to Communicate through Debate and Philosophy Inquiry Discussion. English Language Teaching, 10(8), 145-152.
Sheybani, M. (2019). The relationship between EFL Learners’ Willingness to Communicate (WTC) and their teacher immediacy attributes: A structural equation modelling. Cogent Psychology, 6(1), 1-14.
Subramaniam, S., Shaharudin, R. H., Hamid, N. B. A., & Wahab, N. H. A. (2021). Motivation and Willingness to Communicate in English amongst ESL Engineering Pre-university Students in Malaysia. Environment-Behaviour Proceedings Journal, 6(SI4), 87-93.
Tavakoli, M., & Zarrinabadi, N. (2016). Differential effects of explicit and implicit corrective feedback on EFL learners’ willingness to communicate. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 12(3), 1-13.
Ubaid, U. U., Rethinasamy, S., & Ramanair, J. (2021). Development and Validation of Willingness to Communicate, Language Use, and Motivation Questionnaires. Issues in Language Studies, 10(1), 20-36.
Vongsila, V., & Reinders, H. (2016). Making Asian learners talk: Encouraging willingness to communicate. RELC Journal, 47(3), 1-17.
Wen, W. P., & Clément, R. (2003). A Chinese Conceptualisation of Willingness to Communicate in ESL. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 16(1), 18-38.
Zarei, N., Saeidi, M., & Ahangari, S. (2019). Exploring EFL teachers’ socioaffective and pedagogic strategies and students’ willingness to communicate with a focus on Iranian culture. Education Research International, 2019.
Zarrinabadi, N., & Tanbakooei, N. (2016). Willingness to communicate: Rise, development, and some future directions. Language and Linguistics Compass, 10(1), 30-45.
Zohrabi, M., & Bimesl, L. (2022). Exploring EFL Teachers’ Perceptions of Strategies for Promoting Learners’ Willingness-to-Communicate in Online Classes. Applied Research on English Language, 11(1), 89-110.

Yusri, N. S., & Sulaiman, N. A. (2024). Willingness to Communicate among Pre-University ESL Learners: Teachers’ Perceptions and Teaching Strategies. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 14(8), 792–803.