Monash University
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The Interplay Among L2 Willingness to Communicate, Speaking Test Anxiety and Speaking Proficiency

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posted on 2024-02-12, 02:21 authored by Ngo Cong-LemNgo Cong-Lem, Thi Thu Hang Nguyen

Despite abundant research on willingness to communicate (WTC), few studies have probed into the relationship between L2 WTC and learners’ anxiety in taking speaking test. The current study was conducted to examine the interplay among L2 WTC, speaking test anxiety, and speaking proficiency. Participants recruited for this study were 40 tenth-grade students at a high school in the southern part of Vietnam. The research instruments comprised a speaking-test anxiety and an L2 WTC scale developed by the researchers, tapping into students’ WTC in different communication contexts. The results indicated that L2 WTC was positively associated with the participants’ speaking proficiency and negatively related to their speaking test anxiety. Anxiety was found to negatively impact the learners’ performance on their speaking test. Moreover, students were also found to be more willing to communicate in English in out-of-school situations compared to inside classrooms. No gender difference in L2 WTC was recorded. Pedagogical implications for enhancing EFL learner’ willingness to communicate as well as speaking ability are discussed.

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