scholarly journals Assessing Willingness to Communicate in the Multilingual Environment

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Guzikova ◽  
Margarita Gudova ◽  
Olga Kocheva

The paper describes the results of an empirical study supported by the McCroskey’s Willingness to Communicate Scale and the findings of the self-assessed communication apprehension survey. The research was carried out in the context of the Russian regional university under internationalization. The respondents included two groups of Russian students and one group of foreign students (52 people in total). The answers given by the students enabled assessment of the level of anxiety they could experience in the proposed communication contexts: public speaking; communication in a small group; speech at a meeting; and interpersonal talk. Supposedly, a high level of readiness for communication in a foreign language would indicate the person’s psychological security and lack of discomfort when networking. In addition, the research aimed to find a correlation between the number of foreign languages and the duration of their study, and the individual’s desire to engage in verbal communication with strangers. According to the results of the communication apprehension test, all the students showed an average index of communication anxiety, and this moderate level can complicate their future introduction into a diverse professional community. Also, this study revealed that the number of languages and the willingness to communicate do not correlate. However, the number of years students learn languages is directly linked with their willingness to communicate. It is suggested that the quasi-communicative format of teaching foreign languages in the classrooms contrasts sharply with the emerging dynamic multicultural space of the university. Keywords: willingness to communicate, communication apprehension, foreign language environment

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 55
Author(s):  
Adaninggar Septi Subekti

This research was conducted to investigate the willingness to communicate (WTC) of Indonesian learners of English as a second language (L2) at the university level. It was conducted based on several rationales. WTC in L2 was often regarded as the primary goal of language instructions, and there might be various factors influencing WTC in L2 and the two so-called strongest factors, namely learners’ perceived communication competence and communication apprehension, need to be investigated further to find out the degree to which they affected learners’ WTC. Besides, Indonesian learners’ low frequency of English use outside classroom contexts might lead them to be unwilling to make actual communication in English. Through probability random sampling, a total of 276 non-English major university students participated in the study, the data of which were analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics, correlation and regression, in SPSS 21. This research finds that learners have reported a high level of WTC, their perceived communication competence is found to be a strong predictor of learners’ WTC, communication apprehension is found to be correlated with WTC in just a moderate level, and despite experts’ supports on the importance of WTC in L2 learning, it surprisingly cannot predict learners’ L2 achievement. 


2021 ◽  
Vol 53 (5) ◽  
pp. 125-138
Author(s):  
Inga Y. Smelkova ◽  
◽  
Ekaterina N. Tuana ◽  
Svetlana A. Gubareva ◽  
Irina A. Krasnova ◽  
...  

Introduction. With the transition of universities around the world to distance learning during the pandemic of COVID-19, the higher education has become the global and accessible, and competition between universities in the international educational market has increased. The opinion of Chinese students about distance learning as an alternative form to the traditional in-person education at Russian university is an important criterion for the evaluation of university's ability to retain and attract the foreign students to study in Russia in an environment of competition among the universities, as the Chinese students exactly are make up the majority among the foreign students of Russian universities. The purpose of the study is to find out the opinion of Chinese students about the distance learning format at the Russian university from the point of view of influence it on the formation of communicative competence in Russian language and adaptation to a foreign language environment of university. Materials and methods. The 100 Chinese students of 1-4 years of the Humanitarian Institute (HI) and 57 students of the 1st year of the Institute of Industrial Management of Economics and Trade (IIMET) of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University took part in the survey. The research methods are analysis and systematization of student’s answers to questionnaires, content analysis. Results and discussion. The results of the research showed: 1) the Chinese students in general assess the distance learning format as more comfortable (89% – comfortable, 3% – not comfortable) in comparison with in-person (43% – comfortable, 54% – not comfortable) education in the psychological aspect, which is associated with their national characteristics (75% of students are not afraid to answer in front of other students in a distance format, 89% of students feel more comfortable in distance classroom lessons); 2) the students do not experience the difficulties in using the new technical programs and Internet resources (56% – no difficulties; 24% – yes difficulties; 20% – no answers); 3) the formation of communicative competencies in the Russian language largely depends not on the format of learning (68% of students like to study Russian in distant format, 59% are satisfied with their success in learning Russian), but on the readiness and individual skills and abilities of the learner to study (58% of students note they use knowledge of the Russian language in the classroom) and on the teacher skills and abilities in the work in a distance format (75% of students note the importance of presentation materials prepared by the teacher); 4) the difficulties in adapting to the foreign language environment of the university are associated with the level of proficiency in the Russian language and the cultural traditions of the countries (74% of students note difficulties in communicating with the administrative services of the university, 64% of students do not use Russian to solve educational and administrative issues). Conclusion. The obtained results and conclusions can be useful for academic staff, as well as employees of the administrative services of the university and all interested persons who works with Chinese students.


2018 ◽  
Vol 50 ◽  
pp. 01155
Author(s):  
Yuliya Savinova ◽  
Tatiana Akhmetzyanova ◽  
Svetlana Pozdnyakova ◽  
Ekaterina Dvorak ◽  
Zhanna Zarutskaya

The issues of the student engagement in science-related activities and the development of students’ language communicative competence are especially relevant in a technical university, where due to the prevailing of the Sciences, the professional communicative competence has become increasingly vital. The goal of this article is to examine how interdisciplinary scientific conferences for students held in foreign languages can foster the foreign language communicative competence of students. In the article, we present the definition and the three basic models of communicative competence. A method of pedagogical observation is used that represents comprehension and analysis of goal-oriented preparation of students for practical scientific conferences. We reveal the fact that interdisciplinary scientific conferences for students held in foreign languages allow educators to foster the foreign language communicative competence of students and deepen their knowledge in professional area, as well as to equip them with research skills since students’ participation in the conferences increases their attention and focus, motivates them to practice critical thinking skills of high level.


2020 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 159-165
Author(s):  
JULIA M. FOKINA ◽  
◽  
NADEZHDA V. PORSHNEVA ◽  

This article discusses the features of the personal-oriented training methodology TBL (Task-Based Learning), which is based on communicative tasks with the aim of immersion in the language environment. The authors of the article emphasize the advantages of the TBL method compared to traditional methods of teaching English in the university system. In the article the features of group work at the lessons of English are revealed and the factors which influence on its efficiency are formulated. The TBL method is actively used by the authors in their work with students of economic specialties, the experience of implementing the method is also reflected in the analysis of one of the communicative situations.


1977 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 58-71
Author(s):  
Maria Oud-de Glas

At the Institute for Applied Sociology of the University of Nijmegen, an investigation into foreign language needs of several groups in Dutch society has been carried out in 1975 through 1977. Questionnaires were submitted to these different groups, e.g. to former pupils of secondary schools. The questionnaire consisted mainly of a list of 24 descriptions of situations in which foreign languages are used. In these descriptions the significant features of language situations are systematically varied. For each situa-tion we asked if and how frequently it occurs and if the knowledge of the languages learnt is sufficient for this kind of situation. The results of the investigation show large differences in language needs (defined as actual use of the foreign language and shortcomings in the knowledge of that language in certain situations) both between the former pupils of the different types of secondary schools as well as between the languages most commonly taught in Dutch schools, French, German and English. More specifically it was found that the actual use of foreign languages occurs more frequently among former pupils of certain vocational schools (especially technical schools) than among former pupils of general secondary schools. French appears to be used less frequently than German and English. English is used by a somewhat larger group than German, but this does not hold for all groups. Former pupils of technical schools use German as much as English. The resulting data can be used to choose objectives for foreign language teaching. There is however no simple and direct way from language needs to objectives. In choosing objectives on the basis of findings on language needs, one will have to decide which measure of language needs is taken into account and how this measure (or these measures) is (are) used. If we decide for example to take the size of the group that has actually used a foreign language in one of the situations as a criterion for the choice of that situation as a part of the objectives of language teaching, we will then have to decide where we draw the line between situations that are and situations that are not important enough to be chosen. In other words, we have to decide how large the group of language users must be. It is evident that there is no shorter way from language needs to objectives than a carefully argued choice of measures and of the use of these measures.


2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 28
Author(s):  
Asjad Ahmed Saeed Balla

This paper investigates the level of anxiety due to learning English as a foreign language. It tries to answer these questions: 1-Is anxiety a factor in hindering English proficiency? 2-Does anxiety lead to fear of communication? 3- Which type of anxiety is high among tertiary level female Saudi students? The Foreign Language Anxiety Classroom Scale (FLACS) used as an instrument. The data was collected and statistically analysed through SPSS. This paper revealed that anxiety was one of the major factors that impeded English proficiency. Besides, anxiety also caused fear of communication among the students. Furthermore, it was found that the learners had got a high level of communication apprehension that hindered their contact with their teachers and others. This was followed by test anxiety in which the students expected to fail their test. Students showed great fear of test as they feared to be negatively assessed by teachers, this fact had created great anxiety that influenced their attitudes and behaviour as well.


Author(s):  
Л. Иванова ◽  
L. Ivanova ◽  
Е. Лукомская ◽  
E. Lukomskaya

The article deals with a new trend in foreign language teaching based on the cross-cultural approach. The challenge for teachers today is to develop students common, communicative and language competences which are essential conditions for the realization of such a task of modern language policy as the establishment of mutual understanding between different cultures. The components of communicative competence are established. The development of communicative competence is considered to be an obligatory condition for mutual understanding between nations in modern world.


Author(s):  
Iryna Skril ◽  
Nataliia Vasylyshyna ◽  
Tetiana Skyrda ◽  
Olena Moroz ◽  
Tatiana Voropayeva

The integration of Ukraine into the world community has caused a significant increase in interest in learning foreign languages as a means of information exchange. The modern conditions of development, expansion and deepening of international contacts require a high level of foreign language proficiency from a future specialist, especially in a foreign language of professional direction. High demands to the quality of education provision for the informatization of society. The high level of proficiency in a foreign language of a professional direction allows the future specialist to compete adequately not only in the domestic labor market but also abroad. It is promoted by the informatization of the educational process. It determined the relevance of the research problem. The study aims to establish the effectiveness of informatization of the foreign languages learning process of professional communication; to bring the feasibility of using social networks, cloud messengers, educational platforms in preparing future specialists for professional communication in a foreign language environment. The research methodology uses several methods. The main method in the study is the method of pedagogical experiment, also used the method of questioning, observation, to consider the theoretical material uses descriptive method, as well as methods of synthesis and analysis. The main hypothesis of the study is that the application of the educational potential of social networks, platforms, messengers, quizzes is an effective method of training a specialist with a high level of foreign language proficiency in the professional sphere. The result of the study is to determine the effectiveness of the use of the informatization process at the level of involvement of social networks, messengers to form a high level of foreign language proficiency as per profession. In the future, it is envisaged to study the application of informatization of the educational space during the teaching of a foreign language of professional communication.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 9-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio Conti

IT In seguito allo spostamento delle attività didattiche online al fine di contenere la diffusione della malattia da nuovo Coronavirus, il Gruppo di Ricerca e azione sull’Apprendimento delle Lingue ha diffuso un questionario volto a valutare l’impatto della didattica a distanza sull’insegnamento delle lingue straniere durante. All’indagine hanno partecipato 136 docenti e 241 studenti, sia universitari che di scuola secondaria. Scopo del presente contributo è quello di descrivere la composizione del questionario e del campione dei rispondenti, e di riportare i principali risultati. In particolare, dall’indagine sono emersi: (i) una mancanza di chiare direttive da parte delle istituzioni scolastiche, sintomo del carattere emergenziale delle misure intraprese; (ii) una generale resistenza a sperimentare formati didattici inediti e più adeguati al mezzo digitale; (iii) il maggiore svantaggio nello sviluppo delle abilità interazionali e di produzione orale; (iv) un alto grado di criticità nel garantire l’affidabilità e l’integrità delle prove di valutazione. Parole chiave: DIDATTICA A DISTANZA; COVID-19; DIDATTICA DELLE LINGUE STRANIERE EN The shift to online teaching aimed at containing the spread of Coronavirus has led the group of Research and Action on Foreign Language Teaching to release a survey with the purpose of assessing the impact of remote instruction on foreign language teaching. 136 teachers and 241 students at both the university and secondary level have participated in this survey. The aim of this article is to describe the content of the survey and the make-up of the participants and to present the main findings. Of particular note from this survey is (i) the lack of clear directives from their educational institutions, which is a symptom of the immediate nature of the measures put into place; (ii) a generalized resistance to experiment with new pedagogical resources that are better suited for the digital format; (iii) the greatest challenge in developing the ability to interact and to communicate orally; (iv) a high level of difficulty in guaranteeing the trustworthiness and the integrity of the assessments. Key words: REMOTE TEACHING; COVID-19; FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING ES El cambio a la enseñanza en línea que se ha producido para contener la propagación del Coronavirus ha llevado al Grupo de Investigación y Acción sobre la Enseñanza de Lenguas Extranjeras a publicar una encuesta con el objetivo de evaluar el impacto de la instrucción a distancia en la enseñanza de lenguas extranjeras. En dicha encuesta participaron 136 profesores y 241 estudiantes de nivel universitario y secundario. El objetivo de este artículo es describir el contenido de la encuesta y la composición de la muestra, así como presentar los principales hallazgos. De esta encuesta cabe destacar (i) la falta de directrices claras por parte de las instituciones educativas, lo que es un síntoma del carácter contingente de las medidas implementadas; (ii) una resistencia generalizada a experimentar con nuevos recursos pedagógicos mejor adaptados al formato digital; (iii) una gran desventaja en el desarrollo de la capacidad de interacción y comunicación orales; (iv) un alto nivel de dificultad para garantizar la fiabilidad y la integridad de las evaluaciones. Palabras clave: ENSEÑANZA A DISTANCIA; COVID-19; ENSEÑANZA DE LENGUAS EXTRANJERAS


Author(s):  
Dismas Nkezabera

ICT offers new teaching and/or learning methods, especially in the field of foreign languages. These new technologies develop not only new teaching and learning environments, but also raise the issue of their pedagogical integration in teaching French as Foreign language. This article aims at addressing issues related to the contribution of ICT in an action-oriented perspective “task” and “learning scenario” (Mangenot, 2003). The objective is to identify the pitfalls faced by teachers in their attempt to integrate new technologies in teaching FFL. Our assumption is that ICTs provides the learner a new way of acquiring knowledge and skills. This case study raises a number of concerns with regard to integration of ICT in the teaching of FFL. How for instance do teachers of French integrate ICT in their actual teaching in order to motivate and empower their learners? And then, what are the obstacles to the integration of new  technologies in the university system of teaching? By way of a systematic approach, this study discusses an experiment with undergraduate and postgraduate students who are using learning scenarios in written production activities by following well-defined instructions.


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