What is Willingness to Communicate in L2 (L2WTC)

Willingness to communicate (WTC) inside the classroom has been vastly investigated. However, little research examines willingness to communicate in classes of English as a medium instruction. This ethnographic case study explored the reasons behind this phenomenon, through class observations and interviews. The findings showed that self-consciousness was the main barrier to their WTC in English as a second/ foreign language (L2WTC). The students were self-conscious of their own English proficiency and the risk of social rejection. Self-consciousness, which was initially found in only some students, gradually spread out and made up a Vietnamese-speaking classroom environment that deprived the whole class of the opportunities to speak English. An in-depth understanding of self-consciousness related to students' L2WTC will enable instructors and administrators to adopt proper measures to safeguard a classroom environment favorable for oral communication in English.