Language Culture and Curriculum
Editor and Book Reviews Editor: Eoghan Mac Aogain (St Patrick's College)
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Volume: 16 Number: 1 Page: 18–38
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A Chinese Conceptualisation of Willingness to Communicate in ESL
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W. P. Wen and Richard Clément
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MacIntyre et al.'s (1998) heuristic model of willingness to communicate (WTC) is based on research principally conducted in the western world. The goal of this paper is to amend the WTC model so
as to reflect more closely the situation found in English language Chinese classrooms. We try to extend MacIntyre et al.'s model in two ways: by changing some structural relationships between constructs
included in the model and by reinterpreting some of the variables from a Chinese perspective. An examination of the basic concept of Confucianism and the teaching of Confucian Classics reveals that cultural
values are the dominant force shaping the individual's perception and way of learning, which is manifested in L2 communication. We give an account of the linguistic, communicative and social psychological
variables that might affect students' willingness to communicate in a Chinese setting. Potential relations between these variables and Chinese cultural values are exemplified.
© Multilingual Matters 2003
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