Willingness to Communicate in a Second Language: The Japanese EFL Context

Willingness to communicate (WTC) is emerging as a concept to account for individuals’ first language (L1) and second language (L2) communication. This study examined relations among L2 learning and L2 communication variables in the Japanese English as a foreign language context using the WTC model and the socioeducational model as a framework. A L2 communication model was constructed and tested using AMOS version 4.0, with a sample of 297 Japanese university students. In the model, a latent variable, international posture, was hypothesized to capture the general attitude toward the international community and foreign language learning in Japan. From structural equation modeling, it appeared that international…