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Cited by 101EFL/ESL Teaching and LearningCommunication in Education and HealthcareSecond Language Acquisition and Learning

Expanding the theoretical base for the dynamics of willingness to communicate

Open access
MacIntyre, Peter·2020·Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching
DOI 10.14746/ssllt.2020.10.1.6
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Abstract

The dynamics underlying willingness to communicate in a second or third language (L2 for short), operating in real time, are affected by a number of intra- and inter-personal processes. L2 communication is a remarkably fluid process, especially considering the wide range of skill levels observed among L2 learners and speakers. Learners often find themselves in a position that requires the use of uncertain L2 skills, be it inside or outside the classroom context. Beyond issues of competencies, which are themselves complex, using an L2 also evokes cultural, political, social, identity, motivational, emotional, pedagogical, and other issues that learners must navigate on-the-fly. The focus of this article will be on the remarkably rapid integration of factors, such as the ones just named whenever a language learner chooses to be a language speaker, that is, when the moment for authentic communication arrives. Communicative events are especially important in understanding the psychology of the L2 learner. Our research group has developed the idiodynamic method to allow examination of an individual’s experience of events on a timescale of a few minutes. Results are describing complex interactions and rapid changes in the psychological conditions that accompany both approaching and avoiding L2 communication. The research takes a new approach to familiar concepts such as motivation, language competence, learning strategies, and so on. By examining willingness to communicate as a dynamic process, new types of research questions and answers are emerging, generating new theory, research methods, and pedagogical approaches applicable both within language classrooms and beyond.

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  • Learners' communicative behavior and self-perception can fluctuate significantly across time and contexts.

    “In general, studies on willingness to communicate (e.g., MacIntyre, 2020), emotions in second language learning (e.g., Dewaele & MacIntyre, 2014), and complex dynamic systems approaches (e.g., Dörnyei et al., 2015) demonstrate that learners' communicative behavior and self-perception can fluctuate significantly across time and contexts”

    From The Role of Personality in Language Learning (2026) · cites this paper as MacIntyre, 2020

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Research works printed but not linked: 7

  1. Charos, C. (1994). Personality and individual differences as predictors of second language communication: A causal analysis (Unpublished honors thesis). University of Ottawa, Canada.
  2. Clément, R., Baker, S. C., & MacIntyre, P. D. (2003). Willingness to communicate in a second language: The effects of context, norms, and vitality. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 22, 190-209.
  3. Epstein, S., & Erskine, N. (1983). The development of personal theories of reality. In D. Magnusson & V. Allen (Eds.), Human development: An interactional perspective (pp. 133-147). New York: Academic Press.
  4. MacIntyre, P. D., & Serroul, A. (2015). Motivation on a per-second tTimescale: Examining approach-avoidance motivation during L2 task performance. In Z. Dornyei, P. D. MacIntyre, & A. Henry (Eds.), Motivational dynamics in language learning (pp 109-138), Bristol: Multilingual Matters.
  5. McCroskey, J. C., & Richmond, V. P. (1991). Willingness to communicate: A cog- nitive view. In M. Booth-Butterfield (Ed.), Communication, cognition, and anxiety (pp. 19-37). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
  6. Mystkowska-Wiertelak, A., & Pawlak, M. (2016). Designing a tool for measuring the interrelationships between L2 WTC and confidence, beliefs, motiva- tion, and context. In M. Pawlak (Ed.), Classroom-oriented research (pp. 19- 37). Heidelberg: Springer.
  7. Weaver, C. (2007). Willingness to communicate: A mediating factor in the interaction between learners and tasks. In K. Van den Branden, K. Van Gorp, & M. Verhelst (Eds.), Tasks in action: Task-based language education from a classroom-based perspective (pp. 153-187). Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Press.

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Authors
MacIntyre, P.
Affiliations
Cape Breton University (CA)
Corresponding author
MacIntyre, Peter
ORCID
MacIntyre, Peter
Venue
Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching
Publisher
Adam Mickiewicz University Poznan
Published
2020-03-29
Volume
10
Issue
1
Pages
111-131
ISSN
  • 2083-5205 (ISSN-L)
  • 2084-1965
DOI
10.14746/ssllt.2020.10.1.6
OpenAlex
W3014009755
Cited by
100
References
42
Citations by year
2026: 21 · 2025: 20 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 1
FWCI
50.05
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching (Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Language and Linguistics › EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Communication in Education and Healthcare
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Second Language Acquisition and Learning
Keywords
willingness to communicate, second language communication, language learning motivation, language competence, learning strategies, learner identity, authentic communication

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