factors affecting students’ willingness to communicate in english classroom = nghiên cứu yếu tố ảnh hưởng đến sự tự giác giao tiếp của sinh viên bằng tiếng anh trong lớp học

The present study aimed to examine the extent to which the students are willing to communicate in English in the classroom according to their self-report, and factors that might affect t

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

*********************

PHAN THI ̣ MAI HƯƠNG

FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS’ WILLINGNESS TO COMMUNICATE IN ENGLISH IN CLASSROOM

(NGHIÊN CỨU YẾU TỐ ẢNH HƯỞNG ĐẾN SỰ TỰ GIÁC GIAO TIẾP CỦA SINH VIÊN BẰNG TIẾNG ANH TRONG LỚP HỌC )

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

HA NOI-2014

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

********************

PHAN THI ̣ MAI HƯƠNG

FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS’ WILLINGNESS TO COMMUNICATE IN ENGLISH IN CLASSROOM

(NGHIÊN CỨU YẾU TỐ ẢNH HƯỞNG ĐẾN SỰ TỰ GIÁC GIAO TIẾP

CỦA SINH VIÊN BẰNG TIẾNG ANH TRONG LỚP HỌC )

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Supervisor : Dr Lê Văn Canh

HA NOI-2014

DECLARATION

I hereby, certify the thesis entitled “Factors affecting students’ willingness to

communicate in English in classroom” is the result of my own research for the

Degree of Master of Arts at University of Languages and International Studies,

Vietnam National University, Hanoi The thesis has not been submitted for any

degree at any other universities or institutions I agree that the origin of my

paper deposited in the library can be accessible for the purposes of study

Hanoi, 2014

Phan Thi ̣ Mai Hương

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I am indebted to many whose warm support, cheerful encouragement, and genuine guidance have been deeply appreciated

First, I would like to express my immerse gratitude to Doctor Lê Văn Canh,

my supervisor, who has patiently guided me through the research process for his insightful comments, invaluable guidance, thoughtful suggestions and inspiration

I am profoundly grateful to all those who participated, the wonderful students at Hai Phong Private University, who acted as subjects

I would like to make special mention to my husband, who has given me an unending supply of all sorts of help and whose support has made it possible for me

to complete this study

Thanks also go to family and friends for their encouragement

ABSTRACT

Willingness to communicate (WTC) has gained an increasing amount of attention in the area of second language acquisition (SLA) Despite the rich findings from previous researches, most of the previous studies have been conducted in Western countries Until recently, little research related to WTC has been conducted in a foreign language learning (EFL) context where there is usually no immediate linguistic need for learners to use English in their daily life The present study aimed to examine the extent to which the students are willing to communicate in English in the classroom according to their self-report, and factors that might affect the students‟ willingness to communicate in an English as a foreign language context A mixed-method approach design was employed in order to explore the different aspects of WTC construct Data was collected through a questionnaire and interviews The participants, 120 Vietnamese tertiary students, completed the WTC questionnaire Follow-up interview were then conducted with 12 participants The findings of this study shows that students‟ WTC is a complex issue because it is affected by multiple factors related to the nature of classroom tasks, the students‟ proficiency level and other learner factors A number of factors that appeared to affect their WTC in classroom were identified as: self-confidence, language attitude, self-perceived L2 proficiency, motivation and personality The results of this study contribute to the theoretical foundation and methodology of the WTC construct This study also provided pedagogical implications for English language teachers The limitations of this study and suggestions for future research were also identified

TABLE OF CONTENT

PART A: INTRODUCTION 1

1 Rationale 1

2 Aims and objectives of the study 2

3 Research Questions 2

4 Scope of the study 3

6 Design of the study 3

PART B: DEVELOPMENT 4

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 4

1.1 Definition of Willingness to communicate (WTC) 4

1.2 Heuristic Model of WTC in L2 5

1.3 Factors affecting students‟ WTC 8

1.3.1 Self-confidence 9

1.3.2 Personality 10

1.3.3 Language attitude 10

1.3.4 Motivation 11

1.4 Classroom WTC in L2 12

CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH MOTHODOLOGY 15

2.1 Methodological Approach 15

2.2 Participants and context 16

2.3 Data collection 16

2.3.1 Instruments 17

2.3.2 Data collection procedures 18

2.3.3 Data analysis 18

CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 19

3.1 Findings 19

3.1.1 Qualitative data (WTC interview) 19

3.1.2 Qualitative data: Factors likely to influence L2 WTC 24

3.2 Summary 33

PART C: CONCLUSION 34

1 Concluding remarks 34

2 Pedagogical implications 34

3 Limitations of the study and suggestions for further studies 35

LIST OF REFERENCES 37 APPENDIX A: WTC Questionnaire (English version) I

PART A: INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale

Among the four popular foreign languages in Vietnam: English, Chinese, Russian, and French, English has been the most popular since 1989 in political, economic, and socio-cultural aspects of Vietnam One reason for its popularity lies in Vietnam‟s establishment of diplomatic relationships with 174 countries, and economic and trade ties with almost all countries and territories in the world Evidently, English competence enhances the presence of Vietnamese because English is used as a means of communication in these organizations In addition, the current popularity of English in Vietnam arises from common demand because English is the key to science, technology and commerce In terms of how the popularity of English has influenced common Vietnamese, the processes of modernization, industrialization, integration, and globalization provide the Vietnamese with more opportunity to improve their study, work, and living conditions However, these processes and opportunities also force them to work harder to be better prepared for social demands In particular, Vietnamese more and more are required to be able to communicate in English and even be fluent in English for work and study in an international environment

Modern language pedagogy attaches a lot of importance to communication and training language learners who are able to communicate effectively in the target language In a language classroom following communicative approach, language teachers are eager to have learners who are willing to use the language in class The reason is that researches have shown that a lack of willingness to use the language results in ineffective interaction and language production So, it is true that the notion of Willingness to Communicate (WTC) plays a key role in learning a second/foreign language MacIntyre et al (1998) conceptualized a heuristic model

of WTC in L2 in order to explain the interrelations among affective variables influencing the WTC in L2 The heuristic model is associated with the perspective that “authentic communication in a L2 can be seen as the result of a complex system

of interrelated variables” (MacIntyre et al., 1998) The heuristic model is also associated with the perspective that the L2 student‟s intention to communicate (WTC) is significantly connected to his/her actual L2 communication

Despite the rich findings from previous researches, most of the previous studies have been conducted in Western countries Until recently, little research related to WTC has been conducted in a foreign language learning (EFL) context where there

is usually no immediate linguistic need for learners to use English in their daily life Therefore, understanding the variables that might increase or decrease language learners‟ opportunities and readiness to speak in language classrooms seems to be pertinent in today‟s context

2 Aims and objectives of the study

This study aims at:

(1) Exploring the extent to which students are willing to communicate in English classes; and

(2) Identifying factors that might affect students‟ willingness to communicate in English classes

These two aims are specified into the following objectives:

(1) Gaining understanding of how students participate in English speaking tasks

4 Scope of the study

The study limits itself to the investigation into how students in one private university participate in classroom speaking tasks and the factors affecting their participation Thus, the study itself is largely a survey study

A mixed-method approach was adopted in this study to achieve its aims and objectives

For the quantitative part of the study, which could find out the general level of the selected participants‟ WTC, the researcher randomly selected four level 3 classes (30 students each) of students to take part in the questionnaire survey For the qualitative part of this study, which could help to find out factors influencing students‟ WTC, the researcher randomly selected 16 students from the

120 students who had completed the questionnaire to take part in the individual interviews (four from each class)

6 Design of the study

This thesis consists of three chapters

Chapter One reviews previous literature and research relevant to the research

questions addressed in this study It also introduces the fundamental theoretical knowledge underlying WTC, and reviews some major findings from empirical research studies concerning L2 WTC Previous researches are subsequently listed and as a consequence, two research questions are raised for investigation

Chapter Two describes the methodological approach employed in the current

study A mixed-method design is adopted to enrich the data from different perspectives The major research instruments, the WTC questionnaire and semi-structured interviews are identified This chapter also describes procedures for collecting and analyzing data

Chapter Three reports key findings from an analysis of the research data These

include results based on the use of both quantitative and qualitative research techniques Results from a content analysis of the interview data are also considered This chapter also summarizes the key findings of this study

PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

1.1 Definition of Willingness to communicate (WTC)

WTC is a relatively new variable in SLA The notion of WTC was originally introduced with reference to first language communication, and it was considered to

be a personality-based, trait-like predisposition that remained stable across different communication situations (McCroskey & Richmond, 1991) WTC - (McCroskey & Baer, 1985, McCroskey 1992) can be defined as the probability that an individual will choose to initiate communication, more specifically talk, when free to do so

(MacIntyre &Charos, 1996) As such, WTC can be conceptualized as a goal of

second language instruction, a variable that facilitates language learning itself, and

an internal psychological event with socially meaningful consequences Initiating

communication represents the culmination of a network of processes at both the cultural and individual levels In essence, the notion entails an intention to initiate a communicative behaviour, and this behavioural intention is often predictive of actual behaviour (MacIntyre, 1994) WTC in L2, however, was reinterpreted as a

situational variable, open to change across situations It was defined as “a readiness

to enter into discourse at a particular time with a specific person or persons, using

a L2” (MacIntyre, Dörnyei, Clément, & Noels, 1998, p 547) Specific to a L2

classroom, WTC was defined by Oxford (1997) as “a student’s intention to interact

with others in the target language, given the chance to do so” (p 449) WTC is also

defined as a learner‟s „„readiness to enter into discourse at a particular time with a

specific person or persons, using a L2” (MacIntyre et al., 1998, p 547) As

Dörnyei (2003) points out, competence in the L2 may not be enough Learners need

to be not only able to communicate but also willing to communicate in the L2 Research has shown that a learner‟s WTC influences how frequently the learner actively engages in communicating in the L2 (Cle´ment et al., 2003; Yashima et al., 2004) Thus MacIntyre et al (1998) propose that WTC in L2 should be

conceptualized as the primary goal of language instruction and as a comprehensive

conceptual framework to describe, explain and predict L2 communication behavior

1.2 Heuristic Model of WTC in L2

MacIntyre et al (1998) proposed a conceptual pyramid-shaped structure incorporating a range of potential linguistic and psychological variables that appeared to influence WTC in L2 (see Figure 1) The level of conceptualisation, intergroup communication process, and the issue of time were all integrated in this pyramid model WTC was identified as a behavioural intention, the final step to using a L2 with a specific person They made a distinction between immediate situational factors and enduring influences that underlie WTC in the L2 The situational factors (for example, desire to communicate with a specific person and state communicative confidence at a given time in a given place), which were seen

as more dependent on the specific situation at a given moment of time, were placed within the first three layers, from the top of the pyramid The enduring influences (for example, intergroup motivation, communicative competence, intergroup climate, and personality), which were comparatively distal and stable factors, formed the foundation of the pyramid This model explores the interrelations among affective variables influencing WTC in L2 that could explain and predict second language communication The significance of this heuristic model lay in it being the

“first attempt at a comprehensive treatment of WTC in the L2” as a situation-based variable (MacIntyre et al 1998, p 558) In this model, L2 WTC is conceptualised at the state level rather than at the trait level (MacIntyre, 2007) The major flaw with this model, as (MacIntyre, 2003) acknowledged, is that the pyramid is one-dimensional like a triangle, thus it does not reflect the interrelationship between and the weighting of the various components (Dörnyei, 2005), and that the transition from distal influences to proximal effects is not a simple hierarchy, because at times distal influences such as social situation can bypass proximal ones

Figure 1: MacIntyre et al.’s heuristic model of WTC in L2 (1998)

A considerable number of research studies have been conducted to validate some parts of this complex pyramid model in both western and Asian contexts MacIntyre and his associates carried out several empirical studies in the Canadian immersion context, with a main focus on the identification of any correlation of WTC with a number of factors from this model These studies revealed that the strongest predictors of WTC in this model included communication anxiety and perceived communicative competence (Clément, Baker, & MacIntyre, 2003) For example, Baker and MacIntyre (2000, 2003) compared an immersion (n = 71) to a non-immersion programme (n = 120) and examined the effects of the programs on some variables in the model including perceived competence, WTC, frequency of communication, communication anxiety, and motivation of students who had English as their L1 and were studying French as their L2 Based on questionnaire and interview data, it was found that anxiety and perceived competence strongly predicted WTC and frequency of communication Similarly, MacIntyre, Baker, Clément and Donovan (2003b) conducted a study among university-level students

(n = 59) to evaluate differences between French immersion and non-immersion students in terms of WTC, communication anxiety, perceived competence, integrative motivation and frequency of communicating All these variables were measured by a questionnaire survey The results showed that WTC correlated strongly with motivation in the immersion group but not in the non-immersion group WTC was found to be predicted by communication anxiety but not by perceived competence in the immersion group The reverse was true for the non-immersion group – WTC was predicted by perceived competence but not communication anxiety These results lent support to the pyramid model; that communication anxiety, perceived competence and motivation have a direct relationship with WTC A number of recent studies tested MacIntyre et al.‟s (1998) heuristic WTC model in the EFL contexts including Chinese, Turkish and Korean contexts (Atay & Gokce, 2007; Cetinkaya, 2005; Kim, 2005; Peng, 2007b) The studies carried out in these different EFL contexts suggested that WTC is strongly predicted by motivation, attitudes towards international community, perceived linguistic self-confidence (a combination of communication anxiety and perceived communicative competence), and desire to learn English Peng (2007b) partially replicated MacIntyre et al.‟s (2003b) study by examining the possible relationship between integrative motivation and L2 WTC among Chinese college students learning English in an intensive programme (n = 174) The WTC questionnaire adapted from MacIntyre et al (2001) was used to measure the effects of motivation and social contexts on L2 WTC Integrative motivation was measured by the Attitude/Motivation Test Battery used in Hashimoto‟s (2002) study Peng‟s findings showed motivation to be the strongest predictor of L2 WTC and that integrative motivation accounted for a small proportion of variation in L2 WTC Attitudes towards the learning situation were not found to predict L2 WTC Therefore, Peng argued that motivation was an important impetus in stimulating learners to persevere in both L2 learning and possibly L2 communication in an EFL context

Cetinkaya‟s (2005) study examined whether MacIntyre et al.‟s (1998) model explained the relations among social-psychological, linguistic and communication variables in the Turkish EFL context at the tertiary level (n = 356) Following a hybrid design to combine both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis procedures, this study employed both questionnaires and interviews This study investigated the interrelations among students‟ WTC in L2, motivation, communication anxiety, perceived communication competence, attitude toward the international community, and personality Qualitative interviews were used to extend and elaborate these quantitative results

Unlike Peng‟s (2007b) study which found no relationship between attitudes towards the international community and WTC, structural equation modelling revealed a consistent relationship between the students‟ WTC in L2 and attitudes as well as perceived linguistic self-confidence Students‟ motivation to learn English and degree of introversion/extroversion were found to be indirectly related to their WTC through linguistic self-confidence

In summary, the empirical studies on L2 WTC carried out in different contexts provide some evidence for the applicability of MacIntyre et al.‟s heuristic model across contexts There seems to be a focus on use of quantitative methods in WTC research such as structural equation modelling to examine the causal relationship between WTC and its antecedents The aforementioned studies pinpoint the influences of affective/individual variables such as motivation, perceived linguistic self-confidence, motivation and language attitude on WTC Because of limited time and effort, the researcher only focused on these mainly affected factors affecting students‟ WTC in class in this study

1.3 Factors affecting students’ WTC

In order to gain insight into the relationship between WTC and its determinants, this section presents a comprehensive review of the empirical research which has focused on identifying factors that may exert an influence on WTC in L2.In the past decade, a number of research studies into L2 WTC have been carried out in order

to explore the relationships between L2 WTC and various ID variables, such as personality, self-confidence, attitudes, and motivation (MacIntyre&Charos, 1996; Yashima, 2002) Among a number of individual variables, self-confidence has been frequently, by many researchers, found to be the most immediate antecedent of L2 WTC (Yashima, 2002) A number of factors have also been identified as directly or indirectly predictive of WTC, including personality (MacIntyre&Charos, 1996), L2 attitude and international posture (Yashima et al., 2004), gender and age, and social support and learning contexts (Clément, Baker &MacIntyre, 2003) Some other factors such as security, excitement, responsibility, and classroom environment and

so on, have also been found to have an influence on WTC (Kang, 2005) In this study, four most popular underlying factors that affect students‟ WTC in class according to previous studies will be discussed

1.3.1 Self-confidence

In regard to self-confidence, Clément (1986) claimed that it included two constructs: perceived competence and lack of anxiety, and these two constructs represent relatively enduring personal characteristics In contrast to Clément‟s concept of trait-like self-confidence, MacIntyre et al (1998) suggested state communicative self-confidence as indicated in Layer III of their WTC model was a momentary feeling of confidence which might be transient within a given situation For example, in an evaluation situation, an L2 interlocutor may experience a very high state of anxiety and low perceived competence, even though the individual may possess considerable and persistent self-confidence across other situations According to MacIntyre et al (1998), L2 self-confidence in Layer IV of their WTC model is somewhat different from the state communication self-confidence in Layer III, in that L2 self-confidence in Layer IV stands for “the overall belief in being able

to communicate in L2 in an adaptive and efficient manner” This self-confidence can be affected by two components: “the self-evaluation of L2 skills, a judgment made by the speaker about the degree of mastery achieved in L2”; and language anxiety when using an L2 Communicative competence, together with experience,

contributes to self-confidence Higher self-perceived communicative competence leads to higher self-confidence, and perhaps a higher L2 WTC

In some of earlier empirical research on L2 WTC (MacIntyre & Charos, 1996), confidence has been consistently found to be the most immediate antecedent of L2 WTC MacIntyre and Charos (1996) postulated that the intention or willingness to engage in L2 communication was determined by “a combination of the student‟s perception of his or her second language proficiency, the opportunity to use that language, and a lack of apprehension about speaking”

self-1.3.2 Personality

Based on earlier research results that introverted people are less likely to communicate than are extraverts, McCroskey and Richmond (1990) have proposed that the personality trait dichotomy of introversion/extraversion is an antecedent to WTC According to McCroskey and Richmond (1990), introverts are not required

to communicate as often as they tend to be less socially active than extraverts; however, extraverts, on the other hand, require communication to facilitate social interaction and place a higher value on communication Therefore, extraverts are more likely to be willing to communicate and have a stronger willingness to communicate than the introverts In MacIntyre et al.‟s (1998) model, although personality is not conceptualized as a direct influence on an individual‟s L2 WTC, it still plays an indirect role on WTC through other affective variables such as attitudes, motivation, and confidence For example, the possession of a certain personality can predict how an individual will react to members of the L2 community in regard to L2 communication An L2 student with an authoritarian personality type may avoid having communication with L2 community members Thus, personality was found to be indirectly related to L2 WTC through linguistic self-confidence

1.3.3 Language attitude

A number of L2 researchers such as Gardner, MacIntyre, Spolsky have claimed that language attitude is one of the most important factors in predicting the level of

success in SLA In order to describe language attitudes, Gardner (1980) refers that

“the concept „attitude‟ will be used to denote the sum total of a man‟s instinctions and feelings, prejudice or bias, preconceived notions, fears, threats and convictions about any specified topic” In regard to the roles of attitudes in relation to the learning situation in SLA, L2 researchers have hypothesized that positive attitudes toward the learning situation are important for the success of SLA It is likely that L2 students with positive attitudes tend to consider L2 learning as enjoyable and beneficial, which may motivate the L2 students to be more active in performing classroom activities in the L2 Naiman et al (1975) found significant correlations between the measure of attitudes and L2 students‟ volunteering by raising a hand in class, and between L2 students‟ volunteering and the amount of effort they spent on L2 learning; L2 students with positive attitudes toward L2 learning would volunteer more in class, and reported studying hard to learn the L2 (cited in Gardner et al., 1978) It is probable that more active participation and effort in L2 learning can enable L2 students to achieve more significant results in L2 learning Consequently, language attitude is an important factor in predicting the level of success in SLA

1.3.4 Motivation

In agreement with many other L2 researchers, Gardner (1985, 1988) argues that motivation is one of the important factors in predicting the success of SLA Gardner claims that motivated L2students extend their active and personal involvement in L2 learning, which can enable them to achieve successful L2 acquisition Because

of the importance of motivation in SLA, L2 researchers argue that it is important for L2 educators and researchers to understand why L2 students learn their target L2

To explore factors of influencing the L2 student‟s motivation, Gardner and Lambert (1959) first made a distinction between instrumental and integrative motivation According to Gardner and Lambert, instrumental motivation refers to the L2 student‟s desire to learn his/her target L2in order to achieve his/her practical purposes such as acquiring good grades in school, securing a job, or obtaining a promotion On the other hand, integrative motivation is related to the L2 student‟s

willingness to identify with members of his/her target L2 community At the early stage of conceptualizing motivation, Gardner and Lambert (1959) considered integrative motivation as superior to instrumental motivation in determining success

of SLA (cited in Gardner &MacIntyre, 1993) Gardner and Lambert hypothesized that integratively motivated L2 students might be more active in participating in the L2 classroom, and maximize the opportunities to interact with members of their target L2 community out of the L2 classroom Active interactions with L2 members could enable L2 students to achieve L2 proficiency, especially in the oral aural features of proficiency It is shown that students who enter the intensive program with positive attitudes toward foreign language as an integrative motive appear to

be much more successful in developing oral skills and perceive the program as more rewarding than those who are not similarly motivated

1.4 Classroom WTC in L2

Some researchers (Dornyei 2005; MacIntyre et al 1998, 2003) have argued that the ultimate goal of language instruction should be the creation of WTC in the language learning process Given the relevance of WTC to language teaching and learning, it seems important to examine WTC as specific to the L2 classroom context, by considering the influence of the underlying variables of learners‟ WTC There has been increasing to research on WTC as situated in L2 classrooms and this body of research has investigated a number of areas in both ESL and EFL settings, including examination of learner perceptions of their WTC in L2 in class

Some research has focused on learner perceptions of WTC in class For example, House (2004) investigated learner perceptions of factors contributing to WTC in L2 among ESL learners, and relationships existing between these factors, through the use of diaries and interviews Six learners were asked to report their experiences over a 5-week period, and how perceptions of these experiences influenced their WTC inside the language classroom The results showed that WTC in L2 was affected by whether learners take up opportunities that they perceive as suitable for actually engaging in L2 communication He also found that factors such as

perceived politeness, the role of physical locality, the presence of the opposite sex, mood, and the topic under discussion were minor influences affecting WTC House‟s study was the first attempt to enable learners‟ perceptions of WTC to be voiced and heard Cao and Philp (2006) compared self-reported WTC and WTC behaviour in class This study employed triangulation as a technique to compare ESL learners‟ (n = 8) self-report of WTC to their actual WTC behaviour in three interactional classroom settings (whole class, small groups and dyads) and how their WTC behaviour differed in each of these contexts The results indicate that learners‟ self-reports of WTC are not necessarily predictive of their actual classroom behaviour It was also found that situational WTC could change in the classroom across the three interactional contexts, under the influence of situational variables such as group size, familiarity with interlocutors, the familiarity and interest of topic of discussion, and the confidence of the learner in relation to the task This study supported the use of classroom observation as an appropriate way

to tap situational WTC in L2 in class Another study that employed the triangulation technique in investigating WTC in L2 was Liu‟s (2005) study This study examined Chinese tertiary students‟ reticence in oral English language classroom by employing questionnaires, classroom observations and reflective journals (n = 27) The study found that the factors that prohibited students‟ WTC in class were lack of practice, low English proficiency, lack of self-confidence, anxiety, cultural beliefs, personality, and fear of losing face This study highlighted the importance of searching for reticence-coping strategies to promote learners‟ WTC in class

Weaver‟s (2004) studies examined situational variables underlying WTC in L2 classrooms in relation to task types His study (2004) investigated Japanese learners‟ WTC (n = 1104) within an L2 classroom at tertiary level Unlike previous studies that exclusively adopted the WTC scale developed by McCroskey and Richmond (1990) in their questionnaire surveys, this study used a questionnaire developed by the researcher himself to investigate whether or not learner‟s L2 WTC

would vary across 17 speaking situations and tasks potentially arising in this social context of a L2 classroom The findings revealed that students‟ WTC varied significantly across different speaking situations and tasks and suggest that task is a variable likely to contribute to changes in WTC in L2 classrooms From the review

in the preceding sections of recent WTC studies carried out in different contexts, it can be seen that the WTC research still bears a very close relation to the most comprehensive theory of the WTC in L2 construct proposed by MacIntyre and associates (1998) It is noteworthy that the research is limited to employing a quantitative approach with data collected mainly from self-report questionnaires and with data then being subjected to statistical analysis to identify causal or correlational relationships between WTC and its predictors

CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH MOTHODOLOGY 2.1 Methodological Approach

The key issue associated with designing a mixed-method research design is how to combine quantitative and qualitative research effectively A quantitative research approach focuses on gathering numerical data and generalizing it across groups of people In contrast, a qualitative approach is based on descriptive data that does not make use of statistical procedures Quantitative and qualitative approaches have their own separate strengths and weaknesses Quantitative research can produce reliable and replicable data that is generalizable to other contexts, but is generally not very sensitive in uncovering the reasons for particular observations or the dynamics underlying the examined situation or phenomenon That is, the general exploratory capacity of quantitative research is rather limited (Dörnyei, 2007) Qualitative research, on the other hand, has traditionally been seen as an effective way of exploring new, uncharted areas (Dörnyei, 2007), and describing second language acquisition in its natural context However, Duff (2006) has warned that although qualitative research may be helpful in providing insights into a phenomenon, the specific conditions or insights may not apply broadly to others (Dörnyei, 2007) Therefore, mixed -method research which is a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods within a single research project has become common in recent years In this way , we can gain a better understanding of a complex phenomenon by converging numeric trends from quantitative data and specific details from qualitative data (Dörnyei, 2007), and therefore arrive at a more multidimensional and accurate view of the process of second language acquisition

As a result, combining a qualitative approach with a quantitative approach in the current study should provide fuller, deeper, more meaningful answers to a single research question (Johnson & Christensen, 2008), and enrich the ability of the researcher to draw conclusions about the problem under study (Dörnyei, 2007) The research design for this study was adapted from the design by Cao (2009) who studied the dynamics of WTC of the students studying English in New Zealand

2.2 Participants and context

120 non-major students from 4 different classes studying English at Level 3 at Haiphong Private University were chosen as participants in this research The researcher randomly selected four level 3 classes (n=120) of students to take part in the questionnaire survey The participating students, aged from 19-22, had studied English as a school subject for 3 years at junior high school and were in the first or second year of their university It is expected that students at this level have developed basic speaking skills after at least three or four years of study According

to the researcher‟s previous experience teaching in this school, the students have few opportunities to speak English outside classrooms as there is almost no chance

to contact with foreigners However, guided by the national curriculum, one present goal of Vietnamese Ministry of Education is to develop an all-round ability to use English, that is, to develop their skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing Just as MacIntyre et al (1998) indicate, the aim of language teaching should ultimately be to foster learners‟ willingness to engage in communication and their willingness to talk in order to learn Therefore, communicative interaction is increasingly justifying its place in the Vietnamese classroom Classroom management takes on more communicative characteristics with various types of group work and pair work Teachers are encouraged to cultivate students‟ communicative competence The target population in this school, therefore, is an appropriate one for the goal of this study

“an equal and independent chance of being selected” (Fraenkel&Wallen, 2000)

The interview participants were randomly selected by the researcher It was hoped that the researcher would be able to interview both willing and less willing -to-communicate students The oral English class was offered once per week in a forty-five-minute session taught by native Vietnamese English teachers, who are all professionally qualified, at least with Master Degree on Pedagogical Teaching Methodology Interview data were collected on an MP3 recorder

2.3.1 Instruments

2.3.1.1 Questionnaires

A questionnaire is one of the most common methods used to collect data on attitudes and opinions from a large group of participants, and has been used to investigate a wide variety of questions in SLA The advantages of collecting data through the use of a questionnaire include the provision of answers to questions in a systematic and disciplined way, relative ease of construction, extreme versatility, and the ability to gather a large amount of information in a comparatively short amount of time and a readily usable form (Dörnyei, 2007) Moreover, the aim of using questionnaire in research fits the purpose of the study

In this study, Cao‟s (2009) questionnaire was adopted The questionnaire consisted

of 15 items related to students‟ willingness to engage in communication tasks during class time It covered situations or tasks that students were familiar with or found easy to imagine, and with differing amounts of cognitive demand The 15-item WTC scale was administered with instructions which asked students to indicate how willing they would be to initiate communication on a percentage scale (0-100%) in each of the 15 situations The questionnaire was translated into Vietnamese so it was much easier for students to understand and complete it

2.3.1.2 Interviews

In order to understand deeply about Vietnamese students‟ willingness to communicate in English and the factors affecting this willingness, results of the questionnaire were extended and elaborated by the use of qualitative interviews with participants

In order to examine the selected students‟ attitudes towards the English speaking international community, the researcher interviewed 16 randomly chosen students from 120 participants in a quiet room (the teachers‟ lounge) and the fifteen questions in WTC Interview Questions (see Appendix) are asked

In case the interviewees might have difficulty understanding the questions in English or do not like speaking English, and in order to increase the validity of the interviews, all the interviews were carried out by the researcher in Vietnamese

2.3.2 Data collection procedures

Firstly, the researcher focused on the completion and collection of the WTC questionnaires The participants were informed that their participation was entirely voluntary and that their participation in this study would not affect their achievement as well as their grades The participants were also informed that the data would be collected anonymously and kept confidential by the researcher The questionnaires took about seven minutes of class time to complete

The next step of data collection involved face-to-face interviews with the 16 randomly-chosen participants from these four classes The participants received the interview questions one day before the interview so they could have enough time to prepare their answers The interviewees were informed of the purpose of the study and assured that their responses would be confidential Interviews were conducted

by the researcher in a quiet lounge Each interview took between ten to fifteen minutes and was recorded in an MP3 player

2.3.3 Data analysis

The questionnaire data were used to identify the general level of the selected participants‟ WTC Quantitative data from questionnaires were also factor analyzed These factors then become themes that were compared with themes analyzed from the qualitative interview data Interview data were analyzed qualitatively in order to reveal factors that seem to contribute to the selected participants‟ willingness to communicate in English in classroom Then the research‟s result will be compared

to previous studies on this field