The Relationship Between ESL Learners’ Motivation, Willingness to Communicate, Perceived Competence, and Frequency of L2 Use

Abstract

The present study seeks to examine the relationship between the motivation of adult ESL learners, their willingness to communicate, their perceived competence, and the frequency of L2 use. Three research questions motivate this study: (1) Is there a relationship between the motivation of L2 learners and their willingness to communicate? (2) Is there a relationship between the motivation of L2 learners and their frequency of L2 use? (3) Is there a relationship between the perceived competence of L2 learners and their frequency of L2 use? The affective variables were measured using surveys; descriptive and inferential statistics were used to investigate the relationships between the affective variables that influence L2 communication and the frequency of L2 use. The results show that there was a relationship between motivation and willingness to communicate. Motivation was also a significant predictor of the frequency of L2 communication. In addition, while there was a relationship between learners’ perceived competence and the frequency of L2 use, perceived competence did not predict the frequency of L2 use. The findings indicate that teachers can utilize a variety of strategies to boost students’ motivation by strengthening their desired self-image and by nurturing their communicative confidence.