Japanese EFL Students' Willingness to Communicate in the L2 － Causes and Solutions －

Previous research has shown that WTC in the target language is predicted by examining ELL’s levels of anxiety, motivation, and self-confidence (MacIntyre, 1994; Yashima, 2002); however Japanese EFL learner and teacher interactions have not been closely examined. To better understand JEFLs’ willingness to communicate in the L2, and how teachers affect students’ WTC, a revised version of Matsuoka’s (2004) WTC survey was administered to 69 Japanese EFL university students. Participants ranked willingness to perform tasks in the L2 with their English faculty’s language teachers, revealing relatively low levels of WTC in the L2 across both native and non-native teachers. After examining mean scores, outliers, and previous WTC research, probable causes for lack of WTC included demotivation, teachers’ behaviors and teaching styles, and student-teacher interactions. Based on these findings, communicative pedagogical strategies and methods are recommended for educators teaching in a Japanese EFL environment.