Facilitating L2 WTC: A Review of Past Studies

Due to the pivotal role that interaction plays in SLA, the issue of willingness to communicate has drawn considerable attention among researchers in the field. Nonetheless, literature on WTC has been primarily theoretical; little has been done to find practical solutions to the problem that could actually help ESL practitioners in their daily classroom practice. In light of this, the current article is a review of past studies on how to foster WTC. It begins with providing some insights on how to facilitate L2 WTC gained from the identified studies. Next, based on the review, it is highlighted that the current research trend tends to focus on facilitating in-class WTC, with less attention given on out-of-class WTC. This might lead to a separation between in-class and out-of-class learning. To address this issue, the article ends with a series of suggested activities which employs a multi-systematic approach to learning (Akkerman & Eijck, 2011) and a critical conception of in-class learning resources (Wright, 2006). The series of activities allow learners to engage in rich interactional resources, both in and out-of-class, as well as an opportunity to reflect on their experiences in relation to their WTC.