The Role of EFL Teachers’ Socio-affective Strategies in Learners’ Willingness to Communicate: Learners’ Perceptions
الموضوعات : نشریه زبان و ترجمهNahid Zarei 1 , مهناز سعیدی 2 , سعبده آهنگری 3
1 - Department of English, Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran
2 - دپارتمان انگلیسی- واحد تبریز- دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی- تبریز- ایران
3 - دپارتمان انگلیسی- واحد تبریز- دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی- تبریز- ایران
الکلمات المفتاحية: Exploratory Factor Analysis, Validation, Willingness to communicate, Reliability analysis, Socio-Affective Strategies,
ملخص المقالة :
The present study set out to develop a willingness to communicate (WTC) questionnaire addressingteachers’ socio-affective strategies. It also aimed at exploring learners’ perceptions toward thesestrategies affecting their WTC. Participants of the study, who were selected by a non-probabilityconvenience sampling method, were 153 English as a foreign language learner in three popular EnglishInstitutes in Iran. A questionnaire including 45 items was designed by referring to a previouslyconducted focus group interview of Iranian EFL teachers and the review of the literature. Afterthe questionnaire was administered to and completed by the learners, an exploratory factor analysis(EFA) was performed. The analysis yielded 37 items and six factors: (a) creating a positive interaction(8 items), (b) teachers’ enthusiasm (6 items), (c) teachers’ fairness (5 items), (d) teachers’ presence (6items), (e) teachers’ immediacy (6 items), and (f) teaching skills and participation in group activities(6 items). The reliability measures were also examined and the results were satisfactory. The sixfactors were compared against each other and teachers’ enthusiasm and fairness were found to be themost important factor in promoting learners’ WTC. Implications for teacher trainers and teachers arediscussed and suggestions for further research are offered.
Ajzen, I. (1988). Attitudes, personality, and behavior. Chicago: IL: Dorsey Press. .
Andersen, J., Nussbaum, J., Pecchioni, L., & Grant, J. A. (1999). Interaction skills in instructional settings. Teaching communication theory and research methods, 359-374.
Andersen, P., & Andersen, J. (1982). Nonverbal Immediacy in Instruction In
L. Baker (Ed.), Communication in the Classroom (pp. 98-120). Englewood Cliffs: NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Anttila, H., Pyhältö, K., Soini, T., & Pietarinen, J. (2017). From anxiety to enthusiasm: emotional patterns among student teachers. European Journal of Teacher Education, 40(4), 447-464.
Arnold, J. (2019). The importance of affect in language learning. Neofilolog, 52, 11-
14.
Cao, Y. (2012). Willingness to communicate and communication quality in ESL classrooms. TESL Reporter, 45, 20-20.
Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2007). Research methods in education (5th ed.). London and New York: Routledge Falmer.
Daly, J. A., & Kreiser, P. O. (1992). Affinity in the classroom. In V. P. R. J. C.
McCroskey (Ed.), Power in the classroom: communication, control, & concern (pp. 121-143). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Dewaele, J.-M. (2015). On emotions in foreign language learning and use. The Language Teacher, 39(3), 13-15.
Dewaele, J.-M., Gkonou, C., & Mercer, S. (2018). Do ESL/EFL Teachers’ Emotional Intelligence, Teaching Experience, Proficiency and Gender Affect Their Classroom Practice? Emotions in second language teaching (pp. 125-141): Springer.
Dewaele, J.-M., & MacIntyre, P. (2016b). The predictive power of multicultural personality traits, learner and teacher variables on Foreign Language Enjoyment and Anxiety in classrooms. International Association for Language and Social Psychology, Bangkok, Thailand.
Dewaele, J.-M., & MacIntyre, P. D. (2014). The two faces of Janus? Anxiety and enjoyment in the foreign language classroom. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 4(2).
Dewaele, J.-M., Witney, J., Saito, K., & Dewaele, L. (2017). Foreign language enjoyment and anxiety: The effect of teacher and learner variables. Language Teaching Research,
1362168817692161.
Dewey, J. (1933). How we think. Buffalo. NY: Prometheus Books.
Dornyei, Z. (2007). Research methods in applied linguistics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Dörnyei, Z., & Taguchi, T. (2010). Questionnaires in second language research: Construction, administration, and processing: New York: Routledge.
Fallah, N. (2014). Willingness to communicate in English, communication self- confidence, motivation, shyness and teacher immediacy among Iranian English-major undergraduates: A structural equation modeling approach. Learning and Individual Differences, 30, 140-147.
152 The Role of EFL Teachers’ Socio-affective Strategies in …
Frymier, A. B., & Houser, M. L. (2016). The role of oral participation in student engagement. Communication education, 65(1), 83-104.
Gorard, S. (2012). Experiencing fairness at school: An international study. International Journal of Educational Research, 53, 127-137.
Gorham, J. (1988). The relationship between verbal teacher immediacy behaviors and student learning. Communication education, 37(1), 40-53.
Horwitz, E. K., Horwitz, M. B., & Cope, J. (1986). Foreign language classroom anxiety. The Modern Language Journal, 70(2), 125-132.
Hsu, L.-I., Watson, T., Lin, C.-H., & Ho, T.-C.
(2007). Explorations in teachers' nonverbal immediacy behaviors and students' willingness to talk in English. English Teaching and Learning, 31(3), 1-27.
Jennings, P. A., & Greenberg, M. T. (2009). The prosocial classroom: Teacher social and emotional competence in relation to student and classroom outcomes. Review of educational research, 79(1), 491-525.
Khajavy, G. H., Ghonsooly, B., Hosseini Fatemi, A., & Choi, C. W. (2016). Willingness to communicate in English: A microsystem model in the Iranian EFL classroom context. Tesol Quarterly, 50(1), 154-180.
Khajavy, G. H., MacIntyre, P. D., & Barabadi,
E. (2018). Role of the emotions and classroom environment in willingness to communicate: Applying doubly latent multilevel analysis in second language acquisition research. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 40(3), 605-624.
Khajavy, G. H., MacIntyre, P. D., & Barabadi,
E. (2018). Role of the emotions and classroom environment in willingness to communicate: applying doubly latent multilevel analysis in second language acquisition research. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 1-20.
Khatib, M., & Nourzadeh, S. (2015). Development and validation of an
instructional willingness to communicate questionnaire. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 36(3), 266-283.
Khodadady, E., & Khajavy Fadafen, G. H. (2013). Exploring the role of anxiety and motivation in foreign language achievement: A structural equation modeling approach. Porta Linguarum, 20.
Khojastehmehr, R., & Takrimi, A. (2008). Characteristics of effective teachers: Perceptions of the English teachers. Journal of Education & Psychology, 3(2), 53-66.
Lee, W., & Ng, S. (2009). Reducing student reticence through teacher interaction strategy. ELT journal, 64(3), 302-313.
LeFebvre, L., & Allen, M. (2014). Teacher immediacy and student learning: An examination of lecture/laboratory and self-contained course sections. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 14(2), 29-45.
Lewin, K. (1951). Field theory in social science: selected theoretical papers New York: Harper.
Long, M. (1996). The role of the linguistic environment in second language acquisition. Handbook of second language acquisition.
MacIntyre, P. D., Dornyei, Z. n., Clement, R., & Noels, K. A. (1998). Conceptualizing willingness to communicate in a L2: A situational model of L2 confidence and affiliation. The Modern Language Journal, 82(4), 545-562.
McCroskey, J. C. (1992). Reliability and validity of the willingness to communicate scale. Communication Quarterly, 40(1), 16-25.
McCroskey, L. L., Teven, J. J., Minielli, M. C., & Richmond McCroskey, V. P. (2014). James C. McCroskey's instructional communication legacy: Collaborations, mentorships, teachers, and students. Communication education, 63(4), 283-307.
Meijer, P. C., Korthagen, F. A. J., & Vasalos,
A. (2009). Supporting presence in
Journal of language and translation, Volume 13, Number 4, 2023 153
teacher education: The connection between the personal and professional aspects of teaching. Teaching and Teacher Education, 25(2), 297-308.
Mercer, N., & Howe, C. (2012). Explaining the diologic process of teaching and learning: The value and potential of sociocultural theory Learning, Culture and Social Interaction, 1, 12-21.
Moafian, F., Ostovar, S., Griffiths, M. D., & Hashemi, M. (2019). The construct validity and reliability of the ‘characteristics of successful efl teachers questionnaire (CoSELFT- Q)’revisited. Porta Linguarum: revista internacional de didáctica de las lenguas extranjeras(31), 53-73.
Mystkowska-Wiertelak, A. (2016). Dynamics of classroom WTC: Results of a semester study. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 6(4), 651-676.
O'Malley, J. M., O'Malley, M. J., & Chamot,
A. U. (1990). Learning strategies in second language acquisition: Cambridge university press.
Oxford, R. (1990). Language learning strategies: What every teacher should know. Boston: Heinle & Heinle.
Oxford, R. L. (1997). Cooperative learning, collaborative learning, and interaction: Three communicative strands in the language classroom. The Modern Language Journal, 81(4), 443-456.
Park, G.-P., & Lee, H.-W. (2006). The
characteristics of effective English teachers as perceived by high school teachers and students in Korea. Asia Pacific Education Review, 7(2), 236-
248.
Pawlak, M., Mystkowska-Wiertelak, A., & Bielak, J. (2016). Investigating the nature of classroom willingness to communicate (WTC): A micro- perspective. Language Teaching Research, 20(5), 654-671.
Peng, J.-E. (2012). Towards an ecological understanding of willingness to communicate in EFL classrooms in China. System, 40(2), 203-213.
Peng, J.-E. (2019). The roles of multimodal pedagogic effects and classroom environment in willingness to communicate in English. System, 82, 161-173.
Peng, J.-E. (2020). Teacher interaction strategies and situated willingness to communicate. ELT journal, 74(3), 307-
317.
Peng, J., & Woodrow, L. (2010). Willingness to communicate in English: A model in the Chinese EFL classroom context. Language learning, 60(4), 834-876.
Rodgers, C. R., & Raider-Roth, M. B. (2006). Presence in teaching. Teachers and Teaching: theory and practice, 12(3), 265-287.
Saeidi, M., & Jabbarpour, N. (2011). EFL Teacherssocio-affective strategy usein ralation to students academic achievement International Journal of Academic Research, 3(3).
Skehan, P. (1991). Individual differences in second language learning. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 13(2), 275-298.
Steele, C. F. (2009). The inspired teacher. Alexandria, Virginia USA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. .
Stevick, E. W. (1980). Teaching languages: A way and ways: Newbury House Publishers Rowley, MA.
Swain, M. (2000). The output hypothesis and beyond: Mediating acquisition through collaborative dialogue. Sociocultural theory and second language learning, 97, 114.
Tannen, D. (1992). You Just don't Understand: Men and Women in Conversation. London: Virago Press.
Tavakoli, E., & Davoudi, M. (2017). Willingness to communicate orally: The case of Iranian EFL Learners. Journal of psycholinguistic research, 46(6), 1509-
1527.
Thararuedee, P., & Wette, R. (2020). Attending to learners’ affective needs: Teachers’ knowledge and practices. System, 95, 102375.
154 The Role of EFL Teachers’ Socio-affective Strategies in …
Vongsila, V., & Reinders, H. (2016). Making Asian learners talk: Encouraging willingness to communicate. RELC journal, 47(3), 331-347.
Walsh, S. (2002). Construction or obstruction: Teacher talk and learner involvement in the EFL classroom. Language Teaching Research, 6(1), 3-23.
Weaver, C. (2005). Using the Rasch model to develop a measure of second language learners' willingness to communicate within a language classroom. Journal of Applied Measurement, 6(4), 396-415.
Yashima, T., MacIntyre, P. D., & Ikeda, M. (2018). Situated willingness to communicate in an L2: Interplay of individual characteristics and context. Language Teaching Research, 22(1), 115-137.
Yu, M. (2011). Effect of communication variables, affective variables, and teacher immediacy on willingness to communicate of foreign language learners. Chinese Journal of Communication, 4(02), 218-236.
Zarrinabadi, N. (2014). Communicating in a second language: Investigating the effect of teacher on learners' willingness to communicate. System, 42, 288-295.
Zhang, J., Beckmann, N., & Beckmann, J. F. (2018). To talk or not to talk: A review of situational antecedents of willingness to communicate in the second language classroom. System, 72, 226-239.