Factors Affecting EFL Students’ Willingness to Communicate in Speaking Classes at the Vietnamese Tertiary Level

Abstract

Researchers have identified that “willingness to communicate” (WTC) construct plays an important role in second and foreign language (L2) teaching and learning. Although many studies on WTC have been conducted worldwide, it seems to be a nascent term in the Vietnamese context. The present study was conducted at a private university in Ho Chi Minh City-Vietnam (henceforth called PU). The study aims to investigate the students’ WTC in EFL speaking classes; explore factors that influence their WTC; and propose strategies to motivate them to communicate in speaking classes. 195 first-year English-majored students and 5 native English speaking teachers (NESTs) were invited to participate in this study. Data was gathered through the employment of three instruments including questionnaire surveys, semi-structured interviews, and class observations. The findings of the study revealed that a large number of PU students had a low level of WTC in English. Moreover, it was disclosed that students’ WTC was affected by both individual as well as situational factors. Lastly, several vital strategies were put forward to help enhance the students’ WTC. Based on the findings of this study, some pedagogical implications for stakeholders were provided.