Willingness to Commmunicate and Oral Proficiency in EFL

This study examined the relationship between willingness to communicate (WTC), perceived communication competence (PCC) and oral language proficiency (OLP) in English as a foreign language. More precisely, the correlations between these variables were explored. Comparisons indicate that there are statistically significant positive correlations between willingness to communicate and oral language proficiency, and between perceived communication competence and oral language proficiency, whereas a significant relationship between PCC and WTC has not been found. Although the results only confirm the interrelationship between these three variables, and do not show casual connections between them, they imply that perceived communication competence and willingness to communicate may affect students’ oral language proficiency. Therefore, foreign language teachers should consider these two factors when assessing students’ oral expression and oral proficiency, and they should encourage students to speak in their classes, in order to develop their speaking skills, and gain more confidence as speakers of English as a foreign language.