scholarly journals Willingness to Communicate and Second Language Proficiency: A Correlational Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 517
Author(s):  
Pornapit Darasawang ◽  
Hayo Reinders
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Willingness To Communicate ◽  
Placement Test ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Second Language Proficiency ◽  
English Classes ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Do So

This study attempts to answer one straightforward question: “what is the relationship between students’ proficiency level and their willingness to communicate?”, i.e., their “readiness to enter into discourse at a particular time with a specific person or persons”, using an L2 Understanding the link between proficiency and WTC is important as a great deal of effort is expended by teachers worldwide on encouraging learners to engage in L2 interaction more. If their willingness to do so depends (in part) on their proficiency level at the time, this may affect what type of activities and instruction are to be provided in class, especially compulsory English classes where students have less autonomy and motivation. To establish this relationship, we correlated 1836 Thai university students’ English Placement Test scores with their level of WTC as measured through a three-part survey instrument, with WTC operationalised as “self-perceived willingness to communicate”, “communicative self-confidence”, and “self-perceived L2 use”. We found a weak to moderate correlation between WTC and language proficiency, with the construct of “self-confidence” being the most strongly correlated. We discuss some of the implications of these findings in relation to EFL teaching.

scholarly journals PREDICTING L2 FLUENCY FROM L1 FLUENCY BEHAVIOR

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 671-695 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeynep Duran-Karaoz ◽  
Parvaneh Tavakoli
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Speech Rate ◽  
Placement Test ◽  
Elicited Imitation ◽  
Language Pedagogy ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Second Language Pedagogy ◽  
L1 And L2 ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractThe article reports on the findings of a study investigating the relationship between first language (L1) and second language (L2) fluency behavior. Drawing on data collected from Turkish learners of English, the study also addresses the question of whether proficiency level mediates the relationship, if any. The data were coded for a range of breakdown, repair, speed, and composite measures. Language proficiency was measured by means of two tests: Oxford Placement Test (OPT) and an Elicited Imitation Task (EIT). The results show that some breakdown and repair measures were positively correlated in L1 and L2, but no correlations were observed for articulation rate and speech rate. The relationships were not mediated by proficiency level. Regression analyses show that a number of models predicted L2 fluency. L1 fluency contributed significantly to models predicting pausing behavior; EIT scores predicted L2 speech rate; and L1 fluency and OPT scores predicted L2 repair and mid-clause pauses. The important implications of the findings for fluency research and second language pedagogy are discussed.

scholarly journals The Relationship Between Language Mindsets and Feedback Preferences in L2 Writings of EFL Learners

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 183-203
Author(s):  
Shima Vaghei ◽  
Fariba Rahimi Esfahani ◽  
Sajad Shafiee
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Proficiency Test ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Intelligence Beliefs ◽  
Feedback Preferences ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Frequency Counts ◽  
Do So

The present study intended to investigate intermediate Iranian EFL learners’ language mindsets and examine the possible relationships between language mindsets and feedback preferences in L2 writing. To achieve these aims, 150 EFL volunteer learners were recruited from several language institutes in Isfahan, Iran, and their language proficiency level was determined through a proficiency test. The learners were then given the Language Mindsets Questionnaire and the Feedback Preferences Scale to fill out. Frequency counts, mean scores, one-sample t-tests, and SEM in Smart PLS were employed to analyze the collected data. The results of the study indicated that for the three subcomponents of the mindsets questionnaire (i.e., general language intelligence beliefs, second language aptitude beliefs, and age sensitivity beliefs about language learning), the learners did not agree (though not significantly) with the entity items, while they expressed significant agreement with the incremental items. The SEM results also revealed that the model (examining the relationship between entity/incremental mindsets and feedback preferences) indicated that entity mindsets were a significant predictor of feedback preferences, yet the incremental mindsets failed to do so. Among the feedback types, EFL learners’ preferences, in a deductive order, were found to be for commentary and conferencing significantly, and then for peer correction, prompts, self-correction to a non-significant extent. The significance of the obtained results are presented and the implications of the study are enumerated.

Examining fluctuations in the WTC of Japanese EFL speakers: Language proficiency, affective and conditional factors

2020 ◽  
pp. 136216882097782
Author(s):  
Rintaro Sato
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Willingness To Communicate ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
Stimulated Recall ◽  
Sense Of Security

Willingness to communicate (WTC), which plays a crucial role in second or foreign language learning, has a dynamic and complex nature, fluctuating during communicative events. This study examines how the situational WTC of four Japanese speakers of English as a foreign language (EFL) emerges and fluctuates, focusing on the roles of language proficiency and affective and conditional factors. Low-intermediate and advanced speakers were engaged in an interactive, communicative activity with an interlocutor. All utterances were recorded, transcribed, and analysed and combined with the qualitative data from participants’ self-ratings and a stimulated recall interview after the activity to assess fluctuations in WTC. The findings indicate that levels of WTC are influenced differently between low-intermediate and advanced speakers. Although the WTC of all speakers was negatively affected when they sensed a lack of English proficiency, low-intermediate speakers were affected by interest in the topic, influence of interlocutors on sense of security, and self-confidence, while opportunity to talk about oneself and one’s opinions contributed to the WTC of advanced speakers. It is suggested that teaches of EFL should be considerate of these factors that can affect EFL learners’ WTC.

scholarly journals Test-Taking Strategies and Reading Comprehension: A Correlational Investigation

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 155-165
Author(s):  
Fadi Al-Khasawneh
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
English Language ◽  
Placement Test ◽  
Test Taking ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Data Collection Process ◽  
Test Taking Strategies ◽  
Efl Students

There is an increasing interest of studies investigating the correlation between Test-Taking Strategies (TTSs) and reading comprehension achievement among EFL learners. The relationship between the aforementioned variables is still unclear and more studies are needed on this area. The major concern of this study is to examine the correlational relationship between the use of test-taking strategies and reading comprehension. The sample of this study included 64 undergraduate students majoring in English language in King Khalid University, Saudi Arabia. The present research employed three instruments for data collection process; English Language Placement Test was used to distribute students according to their proficiency level, two reading passages taken from TOEFL reading comprehension tests, and a questionnaire adapted from Cohen and Upton (2007) asking about TTSs. The results of the present study illustrated that Saudi EFL students used test-taking strategies at a moderate level. There was no statistically significant correlation between test-taking strategies use and students’ achievement in reading comprehension test. There was also no significant differences between test-taking strategies and students; achievement in reading comprehension attributed to language proficiency level. Some pedagogical implications for EFL teachers were presented and discussed.

Retrospectie Als Hulpmiddel Bij De Analyse Van Compensatie-Strategieen

1985 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. 68-80
Author(s):  
Nanda Poulisse
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Retrospective Data ◽  
Intended Meaning ◽  
Proficiency Level ◽  
Story Retell ◽  
Language Data ◽  
Degree Of Confidence ◽  
Natural Tasks ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Shed Light

This paper deals with the procedures followed to identify the strategies in the Nijmegen project on the use of compensatory strategies by Dutch learners of English. The project aims to shed light on the relationship between foreign language proficiency level and compensatory strategy (CpS) use. For this purpose three groups of fifteen Dutch learners of English, of three different proficiency levels, were asked to carry out four tasks. Two of the tasks comprised rather formal elicitation techniques; the subjects had to describe concrete and abstract pictures. The two other tasks, a story retell task and an oral interview, were aimed at obtaining more natural language data. To identify the CpS we make use of problem indicators such as pauses, repetitions, intonation, sighs, laughs and ongoing commentary. In addition, it was decided to collect retrospective data from the subjects on the two more natural tasks, as in these tasks CpS are particularly hard to identify, due to the relative inaccessibility of the subject's intended meaning. In this paper criticism of the use of retrospective data is discussed, as well as the conditions (as specified by Ericsson & Simon, 1984) under which retrospective data can be reliably collected. A description of our procedures goes to show that, on the whole, these conditions are met in our case. The usefulness of retrospective data is then illustrated by means of a comparative study of two identification procedures, one with and one without use of retrospective data. The results indicate that the additional use of retrospective data increased the number of identifiable CpS by 33%; raised the degree of confidence which we can put in our identification in 64% of the cases; and enabled us to discover a small number of incorrectly identified CpS. It was therefore concluded that retrospective data can be considered a reliable and valuable resource in the analysis of CpS.

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