Factors affecting willingness to communicate in a Spanish university context

Abstract

The present study examines the relationships among the variables believed to affect Spanish undergraduates' willingness to communicate in English. The participants were 195 students majoring in several degrees at the University of Oviedo. A questionnaire and a standardized English Test were administered to the students in February-March 2013. Regression analysis showed that the Spanish undergraduates' motivation to learn English had a significant relationship with their willingness to communicate in English. Results also showed a significant positive relationship between self-perceived communication competence and willingness to communicate, and a significant negative relationship between anxiety and self-perceived communication competence. Finally, results show a significant relationship between self-perceived communication competence and L2 competence. A gender difference in the effect of self-perceived competence on actual L2 competence was another finding of the present study