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ERIC Number: EJ1176701
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1936-7384
EISSN: N/A
Exploring the Dynamics of Willingness to Communicate in Written Communication: A Case Study
Choe, Ann Tai
Working Papers in TESOL & Applied Linguistics, v17 n1 p39-55 2017
This paper investigates the dynamics of willingness to communicate (WTC) in written communication between a native and non-native speaker of English. Although research into WTC has identified topic as an interacting variable affecting L2 learners' WTC during task performances (MacIntyre & Legatto, 2011) and classroom interactions (Cao, 2013), fewer studies have explored the nature of written WTC, its relationships with topics, as well as L2 writing development. This study addresses this gap by exploring the dynamism of WTC in writing from a Complex Dynamic Systems Theory (CDST) perspective. Through the employment of three methods--WTC analysis, complexity and accuracy analysis, and functional analysis--the findings suggest that WTC in written communication also reflects the characteristics of a dynamic system. Specifically, it fluctuates as the interlocutors organically move from one topic to the next. Results from the complexity and accuracy analysis and functional analysis provide further evidence to confirm that L2 development is a highly variable and nonlinear process. Overall, these findings lend support to the CDST perspective of interlanguage (IL) development, including dynamism in WTC and L2 writing development.
Teachers College, Columbia University. 525 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027. e-mail: tcwebjournal@tc.columbia.edu; Web site: https://tesolal.columbia.edu/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Texas; China
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A