The role of grit and classroom enjoyment in EFL learners' willingness to communicate

This interdisciplinary study investigates whether, and to what extent, grit (consisting of perseverance of effort and consistency of interests) and classroom enjoyment are linked with EFL learners' willingness to communicate in a second language (L2 WTC), the final psychological step before act...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of multilingual and multicultural development Vol. 43; no. 5; pp. 452 - 468
Main Author: Lee, Ju Seong
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Abingdon Routledge 28.05.2022
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects:
Asian cultural groups
Classroom communication
classroom enjoyment
Classroom environment
Classrooms
College students
Communication
Communicative competence
EFL learners
English (Second Language)
English as a second language instruction
English as a second language learning
English language
English language learners
English Learners
Enjoyment
grit
Interdisciplinary aspects
Korean language
Language Teachers
Learning environment
Middle school students
Middle Schools
Monolingualism
Perseveration
Positive psychology
Positive psychology in SLA
Psychology
Schools
Second Language Learning
Second language teachers
Second languages
Secondary school students
Teachers
Teaching
Willingness to communicate
willingness to communicate in a second language
ISSN:0143-4632, 1747-7557
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:This interdisciplinary study investigates whether, and to what extent, grit (consisting of perseverance of effort and consistency of interests) and classroom enjoyment are linked with EFL learners' willingness to communicate in a second language (L2 WTC), the final psychological step before actual English communication. To this end, three groups of Korean EFL learners (N = 647) from five schools, who at the time of the study had no overseas experience, were surveyed: middle school (n = 137), high school (n = 323), and university students (n = 187). Results of hierarchical regression analyses show that grit (perseverance of effort) and classroom enjoyment are predictors of all cohorts' L2 WTC, while grit (consistency of interests) is not predictive of L2 WTC among all participants. These results suggest that L2 teachers, who instruct in a relatively monolingual and monocultural EFL classroom, can boost learners' L2 WTC by encouraging continuous efforts to initiate English communication. Moreover, by creating a positive classroom environment, EFL teachers can increase learners' level of L2 WTC and potentially boost their English communicative competence. Theoretically, these findings support an emerging view of the application of positive psychology in L2 learning and teaching.
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ISSN:0143-4632
1747-7557
DOI:10.1080/01434632.2020.1746319