The Relationship Between Iranian EFL Learners’ Willingness to Communicate and their Creativity
Subject Areas : Journal of Studies in Learning and Teaching English
1 - Department of English Language Shiraz Branch, Islamic Azad University Shiraz, Iran
Keywords: Creativity, EFL learning, English as a foreign language, Iranian EFL learners, Willingness to communicate ,
Abstract :
Willingness to communicate (WTC), as the intention to initiate communication, has received lots of attention in the field of foreign language teaching and learning, and previous studies have demonstrated the significant role of learners’ WTC in their learning process. However, it is unclear what psychological factors are related to this variable. This study aimed at substantiating the association between Iranian EFL learners’ WTC and their creativity. The present study also attempted to explore whether the components of Iranian EFL learners’ creativity predict their WTC in the classroom. To this end, measures of the WTC and creativity of 118 Iranian EFL learners were obtained employing the WTC inside the Classroom Questionnaire (MacIntyre et al., 2001) and Creativity Questionnaire (Abedi, 1993). The results of the Pearson product-moment correlation analysis showed a statistically significant relationship between EFL learners’ WTC and their creativity. In addition, the multiple linear regression analysis indicated that among four components of creativity, only fluency emerged as a reliable predictor of learners’ WTC in the classroom. Finally, pedagogical implications for educational policymakers, curriculum developers, and language teachers were presented.