Why does EFL learners' willingness to communicate, enjoyment and anxiety in an online class fluctuate dynamically? Adopting an idiodynamic method /

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Student Theses

2024

Liu, Linlin

Hong Kong : The Education University of Hong Kong

Thesis

China is widely recognized as having the highest population of English language learners globally, hence attributing significant importance to English language instruction within its school curriculum. However, despite the implementation of communicative approaches by university teachers to improve students' communication skills (Shi, 2006), students in language classrooms are often perceived as passive learners (Liu, 2002). This passivity can be attributed to the negative washback effects of prior learning experiences, wherein students rarely actively seek opportunities to practice English. In fact, it has been found that less than 1% of Chinese EFL learners are able to engage in conversational English (Smith, 2018). Therefore, the primary issues in the Chinese EFL environment revolve around enhancing learners' L2 WTC and improving their communication abilities and competency. Previous studies have extensively examined a range of factors that influence Chinese EFL learners' L2 WTC in classroom settings (Peng & Woodrow, 2010; Peng, 2016; Li & Liu, 2021). However, there is a limited body of research that has investigated the various elements that influence Chinese EFL learners' L2 WTC and the actual use of English in online class environments. Besides, although the dynamic nature of L2 enjoyment and L2 anxiety has been studied in a face-to-face setting, little is known about how these two emotions interact in an online class.Underpinned by MacIntyre et al.'s (1998) heuristic model, this study adopted an idiodynamic method to investigate fluctuations in the level of willingness to communicate in a second language (L2 WTC), L2 enjoyment and L2 anxiety in an online EFL class. Seven EFL university students participated in four sessions of an online class (each lasting 20 minutes). Following the completion of each session, they rated their L2 WTC, L2 enjoyment and L2 anxiety while watching a video recording of their performance. Subsequently, stimulated recalls and semi-structured interviews were combined to identify factors affecting moment-tomoment changes in their L2 WTC and both emotions. Results showed that L2 WTC highly fluctuated during sessions 1 and 2 due to joint influences of trait-like (e.g., introverted) and state-like factors (e.g., technical issues). In contrast, a more stable pattern of L2 WTC was observed during sessions 3 and 4, mainly due to state-like factors, such as adequate support from a teacher. In some cases, both emotions operate in a seesaw relationship, with one rising and the other falling, while in others, they operate independently. A closer look reveals that the relationship between the two emotions is highly complex and dynamic as a result of independent or combined influences from learner-internal and learner-external factors. In addition, the statistical analysis revealed significant indirect effects of both L2 emotions on actual language use via L2 WTC. The findings indicated that students who had a higher level of L2 enjoyment or a lower level of L2 anxiety were more likely to engage in English language communication. This, in turn, had a positive correlation with their actual language use ability. These findings suggest that EFL learners can become more willing to communicate in an online class through teachers' affective, technical, and pedagogical support. Methodologically, this study shows that an idiodynamic method is a useful analytical approach by which to understand the fluid and dynamic nature of L2 WTC in an online classroom-an emerging L2 learning environment. The findings also show that while EFL students experience an emotional roller coaster at the beginning of the online classroom, a teacher's affective, pedagogical, and technological support can help students maintain optimal L2 emotional levels over time

LG51.H45 Dr 2024eb Liul

https://educoll.lib.eduhk.hk/records/4nEgQa2F