How can L2 motivational self system enhance willingness to communicate? The contribution of foreign language enjoyment and anxiety

Abstract

Willingness To Communicate (WTC), as a crucial goal of second/foreign language (L2) education and the last step before the actual communication behaviour, has received considerable research attention. The present study used Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to investigate the roles of all L2 Motivational Self System (L2MSS) components as well as L2 anxiety and learning enjoyment in predicting WTC among Iranian English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) learners. The findings showed that ideal self, ought-to self, and learning experience directly and positively predicted WTC. Additionally, L2 anxiety had a complementary mediating role in the relationships between ‘ideal self and WTC’ and ‘learning experience and WTC’ and played a competitive mediating role in the association between ‘ought-to self and WTC’. Furthermore, learning enjoyment mediated the relationships between ‘ideal self and WTC’ and ‘learning experience and WTC’ but not ‘ought-to self and WTC’. Pedagogical implications regarding the roles of L2MSS components in WTC as well as the mediating roles of L2 anxiety and learning enjoyment are presented.