Willingness to Communicate in English as a Second Language among Malaysian Undergraduates

Abstract

Learning English as second language is a complex process. To become a fluent speaker of the language, students must be willing to communicate in the target language. Unfortunately, as often observed in many L2 classrooms, many students choose to remain quiet rather than take the opportunity to use the language to communicate with their fellow classmates and instructors. Researchers attributed this behaviour to the students’ willingness to communicate in the second language. However, research involving Malaysian students and willingness to communicate is still lacking. Therefore, this study attempts to fill in the gap by examining the level of willingness to communicate in English as a second language among 239 undergraduates at a Malaysian university campus in northern Malaysia. In addition, this study also aimed to determine whether the level of willingness to communicate in English among the undergraduates differs according to gender. Questionnaires were used to elicit responses from the students. Findings indicate that Malaysian undergraduates have a moderate level of willingness to communicate in the target language; gender does not influence willingness to communicate; and perceived competence in the target language appears to be the deciding factor of their willingness to communicate in English as a second language.