The relationship between second language competence and willingness to communicate: the moderating effect of foreign language anxiety

The present study aimed to explore the potential moderating effect of foreign language anxiety (FLA) on the relationship between second language (L2) competence and willingness to communicate (WTC) in 129 Chinese study-abroad English learners in Belgium. Descriptive analyses revealed fairly low levels of FLA and high levels of WTC of the participants. Furthermore, correlation analyses confirmed strong links between L2 competence (including overall competence and listening, speaking, reading, and writing competence) and WTC of Chinese study-abroad learners beyond the classroom context. More importantly, hierarchical regression analyses confirmed that FLA moderated the relationships between overall competence and WTC, between reading competence and WTC, and between writing competence and WTC, whereas it did not moderate the relationships between listening competence and WTC, and between speaking competence and WTC.

Automated summary

The present study aimed to explore the potential moderating effect of foreign language anxiety (FLA) on the relationship between second language (L2) competence and willingness to communicate (WTC) in Chinese study-abroad English learners in Belgium. The study found that the participants had low levels of FLA and high levels of WTC. Furthermore, the study revealed strong links between L2 competence and WTC, and that FLA moderated the relationships between overall competence and WTC, reading competence and WTC, and writing competence and WTC.