Willingness to communicate/participate’ in action: A case study of changes in a recipient's practices in an L2 book club

Willingness to communicate (WTC) in English is specifically important because L2 (foreign/second language) communication is considered to be a key factor in L2 learning. When the opportunity to speak English arises, there are generally two options: speaking or avoiding it. Several factors might exert influence on the choice of either option by different individuals. In this vein, the current study investigated the underlying factors that lead to (un)willingness on the part of Iranian EFL (English as a Foreign Language) tertiary students. Through a purposive sampling procedure, this classroom-based case study recruited and examined 10 EFL learners in Iran over a period of three weeks. Data were collected employing semi-structured interviews, classroom observations and stimulated-recall interviews. Thematic analysis was performed to identify common themes from the participating students’ ideas. Results reveal that participants’ L2 WTC emerges as a result of the complex, dynamic and non-linear interaction between individual, contextual, and linguistic factors. These three factors interdependently exerted either facilitative or inhibitive impacts on an individual student’s WTC in class at any point in time. The current study, therefore, reinforces the need for teachers to be aware of the multiple factors which lead learners to be more or less willing to communicate in L2 classrooms.

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Hermione’s feminist book club: celebrity activism and cultural critique

MedieKultur Journal of media and communication research ◽

10.7146/mediekultur.v34i65.104842 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 34 (65) ◽

pp. 98-116 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Helle Kannik Haastrup

Keyword(s):

Book Club ◽

Film Studies ◽

Harry Potter ◽

Cultural Critique ◽

Feminist Activism ◽

Feminist Literature ◽

Star Image ◽

Online Book ◽

Point Of Departure

In this article, I analyse how a celebrity can perform cultural critique and feminist activism using her Instagram account and online book club. The celebrity in question is British film star Emma Watson, famous for playing Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter franchise. Watson is performing her activism on gender equality and cultural critique by recommending feminist literature. This study undertakes an analysis of Watson’s presentations of self on Instagram and in her letters in the Our Shared Shelf book club. The analysis takes its point of departure from theories of social media and celebrity culture and film studies as well as investigations of celebrity book clubs and celebrity activism. This case study of Emma Watson’s performance of cultural critique and activism on specific media platforms demonstrates that Watson’s authority is based on her star image as well as the fact that her book club letters and Instagram posts mutually reinforce one another’s written personal arguments and visual documentation.

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Enhancing Willingness to Communicate through Team Building: A Marriage of Theory and Practice

Studies in English Language Teaching ◽

10.22158/selt.v4n2p264 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 264

Author(s):

John Harper

Keyword(s):

Cooperative Learning ◽

Language Learning ◽

Team Building ◽

Willingness To Communicate ◽

Theory And Practice ◽

Case Study Method ◽

Learning Anxiety ◽

Learning Techniques ◽

And Task

Closely related to the well-researched areas of motivation and language-learning anxiety is the area of willingness to communicate (i.e., WTC). Many researchers (e.g., Clément, Dörnyei, & Noels, 1998; Liu & Jackson, 2008; MacIntyre & Doucette, 2009) have conducted studies concerning the factors surrounding learners’ willingness or unwillingness to communicate in a second language. The emphasis of such research has been on causes and not on solutions. This paper, through a study of the existing literature, examines the causes of a lack of WTC. It then argues that some well-known techniques and methodologies, by promoting team building, are well suited to enhance WTC. The paper concludes that the traditional warmup activity, the case-study method, cooperative learning techniques, and task-based learning techniques, when implemented with team building in mind, may aid in increasing WTC.

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