Table 2 Characteristics of studies that met inclusion criteria for L2 WTC conceptualization and its directions
Authors | Objectives | Participants | Instruments | Findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Baker and MacIntyre (2000) | Examining gender and immersion in communication and L2 orientations | 31 male and 39 female immersion students | Questionnaire | The relationship between the perceived competence of non-immersion students and their WTC was found to be highly significant. Conversely, for immersion students, communication anxiety was found to have the strongest correlation with WTC. Furthermore, it was observed that male non-immersion students had a less favorable perception toward learning French, whereas female non-immersion students demonstrated a greater inclination toward three out of the four language learning orientations |
MacIntyre and Charos (1996) | Investigating the associations among affective variables, such as attitudes, motivation, perceived competence, and anxiety, in anticipating achievement in L2 learning and communication | 92 Anglophone students | Self-report measures | Various factors were discovered to have a notable impact on the frequency of communication, including the WTC in L2, motivation for language learning, perceived competence in L2 communication, and the availability of opportunities to interact with L2 speakers. Additionally, findings indicate that overarching personality traits and emotional variables related to language play a crucial role in establishing the psychological environment for L2 communication |
MacIntyre et al. (1998) | Conceptualizing L2 WTC | – | – | L2 WTC was conceptualized based on a heuristic model |
MacIntyre et al. (2002) | The impact of gender and age on WTC, anxiety, perceived competence, and L2 motivation | 268 French immersion students from grades 7, 8, and 9 | Questionnaire | Females had higher WTC than males, grades 8 and 9 had higher WTC than grade 7, and generally, learners revealed higher WTC in English (L1) than in French (L2). Grades 8 and 9 outperformed grade 7 in terms of communication frequency; however, learners’ motivation decreased from grade 7 to grades 8 and 9. Moreover, a relationship was found between WTC, language anxiety, communication frequency, and SPCC, indicating that students with high motivation tended to have higher WTC, communication frequency, and SPCC with lower French anxiety |