Students’ perceptions on the factors that influence their willingness to orally communicate in the EFL classroom in Ecuadorian high schools

Abstract

The topic of this study is Students’ perceptions on the factors that influence their willingness to orally communicate in the EFL classroom in Ecuadorian high schools, and its main purpose is to know such perceptions on these factors. The investigation was conducted in five different grades of four high schools in Zapotillo, in 2014. They included 8th, 9th and 10th grades of Basic Education, and 1st and 2nd with senior students. The information was collected through questionnaires and observation sheets. The approaches used in this study were quantitative and qualitative. To analyse and interpret data, the quantitative analysis was applied to find out how motivation influences students’ willingness to orally communicate, and the variety of factors influencing on Willingness to Communicate (WTC). Otherwise, qualitative analysis was done in order to determine the students’ reasons. The findings of this study demonstrate that most of the students in high schools are willing to speak English in class. Moreover, their motivation, proficiency level and type of personality influence notably on their predisposition to orally communicate.