Enhancing Situational Willingness to Communicate in Novice EFL Learners through Task-Based Learning

Abstract

Many studies have investigated the situational nature of Willingness to Communicate (WTC) in language learning. However, few studies have explored the possibility that a language teaching approach aimed at fostering communicative language use can effectively influence and thus facilitate L2 WTC development as it emerges in context (situational WTC). This classroom-based study addresses this issue by (a) investigating whether task-based learning (TBL) can foster situational L2 WTC for novice learners of English as a foreign language (EFL), and (b) determining the factors that influence learners’ situational WTC through a mixed-methods approach juxtaposing quantitative and qualitative data. The study focused on Japanese junior high school students (N=135) participating in a four-month exposure to TBL. The findings revealed that, during the TBL period, learners’ L2 WTC improved significantly and that learners reported feelings of enjoyment when participating in authentic L2 social interaction.