Exploring International School Teachers’ Views of Foreign Chinese Students’ Willingness to Communicate (WTC) in English

Abstract

Willingness to communicate (WTC) refers to an individual’s intention to speak or remain silent when given a choice (MacIntyre, 2007, 2020). This qualitative study investigates international school teachers’ perceptions of the factors influencing foreign Chinese students’ willingness to communicate in English, explores teachers’ views of these students’ WTC, and examines pedagogical practices used to encourage English communication. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with six teachers from Malaysian international schools. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis. The findings reveal three main themes influencing students’ WTC in English: (1) affective factors, particularly anxiety and low self- confidence; (2) cultural influences related to communication norms and classroom behaviour; and (3) instructional practices, including teachers’ methods and interactional strategies. Although foreign Chinese students were perceived as generally reluctant to communicate in English voluntarily, teachers reported employing practical classroom strategies to enhance students’ WTC. Due to the small sample size, the findings are not intended to be generalisable, and further research involving a larger and more diverse group of teachers is recommended.