Exploring the Impact of Affective Factors on WTC in the Japanese CEFR A2 Context

This poster investigates the relationship between various affective variables and willingness to communicate (WTC) in different contexts. The study examines L2 self-confidence, L2 anxiety, L2 motivation, grit, speaking self-efficacy, self-perceived communication competence, and communication anxiety. It explores their impact on WTC in-class, out-of-class, and in digital contexts. Quantitative research involving 195 Japanese students revealed that grit did not significantly influence WTC in any setting. L2 self-confidence and speaking self-efficacy showed the highest correlation with WTC across all contexts. Regression analysis indicated that all factors, except grit, played a role in WTC. These findings contrast with Lee and Hsieh (2019), who found grit to be a major influence on WTC in Taiwanese students. This difference may be due to cultural factors or varying L2 proficiency levels. Most students in this study had A2 proficiency on the CEFR scale, with a few outliers at A1 and B1 levels. It is possible that grit influences WTC more significantly in learners with proficiency above A2. This study demonstrated that despite similar observable proficiency, participants had varying levels of confidence and perceived competence. Several affective variables overlap in their measurements. Future research will focus on using L2 self-confidence, L2 anxiety, L2 motivation, and speaking self-efficacy scales to measure changes in WTC after interventions.