Antecedents of Willingness to Communicate: A Review of Literature

Abstract

A number of factors have been identified as having an impact on learning a second/foreign language. A recent addition to this list of factors is Willingness to Communicate (WTC), which is indeed a new addition to individual differences research. With the growing value that modern language pedagogy has attached to training language learners who are able to communicate effectively, it is plausible that “willingness to communicate” attracts attention from researchers. The present article attempts to describe WTC model and review the past studies conducted on willingness to communicate, with the goal to identify the antecedents of this variable and the factors that influence it. The article concludes by discussing some pedagogical implications as how to enhance willingness to communicate. Finally, the gaps in the literature are stated in order to show directions for further enquiry.
Key words: Communication; willingness to communicate; willingness to communicate model; antecedents of willingness to communicate