An Exploration of the Effects of College EnglishTeacher Misbehaviors on Students’ Willingnessto Communicate in English Classes

Abstract

This study aims to investigate teachers’ inappropriate teaching misbehaviors in relation to students’ willingness to communicate (WTC) in English classes by positing a mediational effect of students’ affective learning. This study argues instead of an indirect effect on students’ affective learning from teachers’ misbehaviors—derisiveness, incompetence, irresponsibility, and non-immediacy—which occur in the classroom and could directly impact students’ WTC. The participants were asked to respond to three instruments designed for this study. Three hypotheses were posed and found that teacher misbehaviors were correlated negatively at a significant level on four aspects of students’ affective learning. Though teacher misbehavior only showed a minor negative relationship with students’ WTC, but SEM analysis indicated that students’ WTC was directly affected by teacher misbehavior than via indirect effect from students’ affective learning. Implications of these findings are addressed. The limitation and future research suggestions are discussed in the end.