FACTORS THAT AFFECT STUDENTS’ WILLINGNESS TO COMMUNICATE IN ENGLISH SPEAKING LESSONS AS PERCEIVED BY 11TH FORM STUDENTS AT THAI PHIEN HIGH SCHOOL

Abstract

This study is an attempt to investigate the extent to which Thai Phien High School students are willing to communicate in speaking classes and discover the factors that affect their willingness to communicate. The research primarily focuses on students' willingness of the spoken communication by 11 form students who specialize in English at this school. In order to accomplish this thesis paper, the researcher has used qualitative and quantitative methods for data analysis. The data were collected from Willingness To Communicate (WTC) questionnaires, observations and individual interviews with the participants. The results gained from the finding and data analysis has revealed that participant students' willingness to communicate ranged from "sometimes willing to communicate" to "usually willing to communicate". According to students' perception, there are six factors influencing their willingness to communicate: L2 self-confidence, L2 self-perceived proficiency, interlocutors, format and content of the task given, familiar with interlocutors and background knowledge. It is hopefully that the research could contribute to the theoretical foundation and methodology of the WTC construct. This study has also provided pedagogical implications for English language teachers. The limitations of this study and suggestions for future research were also identified.