University Students’ Willingness to Communicate in the Oral English Class: Problems, Causes and Suggestions

Abstract

As is revealed in the past research, students’ willingness to communicate (WTC) plays an
important role in enhancing their communicative competence. However, improving students’ WTC
has not been easy, which is especially so in the case of my students. So, to better identify this
problem, and seek out the underlying causes, three models are employed as the basis for the
analysis based on my students. It is found that reticence, low L2 self-confidence, and pronunciation
mistakes are the major WTC-related problems. The causes to these problems are also examined
from the perspective of WTC. Based on the analysis of problems and causes, some practical
suggestions are made in the end. It is hoped that this research will be conducive to scholars in the
same field, and to teachers teaching the same course.