The importance of nurturing a willingness to communicate in the English as a second language classroom
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24136/10.24136/rsf.2024.013Keywords:
anguage learning, communicative language teaching, communication apprehension, anxiety, affective filterAbstract
In this paper, a review of literature, both old and new, is used to examine evidence and ideas of students’ success or lack of success in English as a Second Language classrooms and whether these are related to students’ willingness to communicate (WTC). As communicative teaching methods continue to gain attention and popularity in English as a Second Language classrooms, communication anxiety and apprehension, which are responsible for increasing the affective filters of students and inhibiting their success, are an increasingly difficult challenge that both teachers and students face. When students’ affective filters are high, their willingness to communicate is low; when students’ willingness to communicate is low, they are less successful in accomplishing their language learning goals. This paper also explores the importance and necessity of creating a classroom environment that fosters students’ success, and which is accomplished by a heightened awareness of factors that affect the affective filters of students.
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