Beyond communicative competence: investigating the impact of grit and classroom enjoyment on willingness to communicate

Willingness to Communicate (WTC) plays a central role in second language acquisition. However, it remains underdeveloped in exam-driven English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts, such as China, where classroom instruction prioritizes linguistic competence over communicative readiness. Drawing on Control-Value Theory (CVT), this study examines the relationship between two learner-related factors—grit and classroom enjoyment (CRE)—and students' WTC. Grit is operationalized through two dimensions: perseverance of effort (G-POE) and consistency of interest (G-COI), reflecting sustained motivation and long-term goal orientation. CRE is conceptualized as a positive achievement emotion linked to perceived control and task value in classroom communication. A cross-sectional survey was administered to 306 Chinese university EFL learners using validated questionnaires. Structural Equation Modeling was used to test associations among grit, CRE, and WTC. Results showed that students reported high levels of CRE, moderate WTC, and relatively low G-POE. Both G-POE and CRE were positively associated with WTC, together accounting for 24.4 % of its variance. G-COI showed no significant effect. These findings support a CVT-informed interpretation in which sustained effort and positive emotion function as appraisal-linked resources shaping learners’ communicative readiness.

Text 121342.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (630kB) Official URL or Download Paper: https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S2590...

Actions (login required)

View Item