English majors’ willingness to communicate in English in a face-to-face versus online instructional setting

master's thesis

• Title (croatian): Spremnost studenata anglistike na komunikaciju na engleskom jeziku u nastavi licem u lice i online
• Author: Dorotea Nožica
• Mentor: Stela Letica Krevelj (mentor)
• Committee member: Renata Geld (predsjednik povjerenstva)
• Committee member: Bojan Prosenjak (član povjerenstva)
• Committee member: Stela Letica Krevelj (član povjerenstva)
• Granter: University of Zagreb; Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences; (Department of English language and literature); Zagreb
• Defense date and country: 2024-09-17, Croatia
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: HUMANISTIC SCIENCES; Philology; Anglistics

Abstract

Willingness to communicate (WTC), a concept initially introduced in the context of first language (L1) teaching and learning in the late 20th century, has over time become a widely researched topic in second language (L2) as well as English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching and learning. Willingness to communicate and the various factors affecting it have mostly been studied in traditional face-to-face classes. However, during the Covid-19 pandemic many educational institutions worldwide started running classes online. This was also the case for Croatia. Online classes, even when synchronous and supported by video aid, differ from traditional face-to-face classes. Therefore, students’ WTC in a foreign language in an online instructional setting might differ from that in a traditional one. This study aimed to determine whether there is a difference in EFL English majors’ willingness to communicate in English in traditional face-to-face and online classes. The participants of this study were 62 undergraduate and graduate English majors at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Zagreb in Croatia. The quantitative research method was employed in the form of an online survey shared via English majors’ Facebook and WhatsApp groups. The results of this study showed that the English majors’ self-reported WTC in English was higher in the traditional face-to-face instructional setting than in the online instructional setting. However, when analysing undergraduates’ and graduates’ responses separately, it was found that there was no significant difference between the undergraduates’ WTC in English in a face-to-face instructional setting and an online instructional setting. Only the graduates’ WTC was significantly higher in the traditional instructional setting. Additionally, this study also found that most students preferred to have their cameras turned off when having to communicate in English during online classes and that they were more willing to communicate in English in smaller groups regardless of the instructional setting.

Abstract (croatian)

Spremnost na komunikaciju (SnK), koncept izvorno predstavljen u kasnom 20. stoljeću u kontekstu poučavanja i učenja prvog jezika (L1), s vremenom je postao naširoko istraživana tema u drugom jeziku (L2) kao i u poučavanju i učenju engleskog kao stranog jezika. SnK te razni čimbenici koji na nju utječu bili su većinom proučavani u tradicionalnoj nastavi licem u lice. Međutim, tijekom pandemije koronavirusa mnogo je obrazovnih ustanova diljem svijeta počelo održavati nastavu putem interneta. Ovo je bio slučaj i u Hrvatskoj. Nastava putem interneta čak i kada je sinkrona i poduprta videosnimkom razlikuje se od tradicionalne nastave licem u lice. Stoga se spremnost studenata na komunikaciju na stranom jeziku u obrazovnoj sredini na internetu može potencijalno razlikovati od one u tradicionalnoj obrazovnoj sredini. Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je otkriti postoji li razlika između spremnosti studenata anglistike na komunikaciju na engleskom jeziku u tradicionalnoj nastavi licem u lice i nastavi putem interneta. Sudionici ovog istraživanja bili su 62 studenta na preddiplomskom i diplomskom smjeru studija anglistike na Filozofskom fakultetu Sveučilišta u Zagrebu u Hrvatskoj. Primijenjena je kvantitativna metoda istraživanja u obliku upitnika putem interneta koji je bio podijeljen u grupama studenata anglistike na Facebooku i WhatsAppu. Rezultati istraživanja pokazali su da je na osnovi samoprocjene studenata anglistike njihova SnK viša u tradicionalnoj obrazovnoj sredini, licem u lice, nego u nastavi putem interneta. Međutim, pri odvojenoj analizi odgovora studenata na preddiplomskoj i diplomskoj razini studija, otkriveno je da ne postoji značajna razlika između SnK studenata na preddiplomskom smjeru u nastavi licem u lice i nastavi putem interneta. Samo SnK studenata na diplomskom smjeru je bila značajno viša u tradicionalnoj obrazovnoj sredini. Pored toga, ovo je istraživanje također otkrilo da je većina studenata radije držala kameru isključenu pri komunikaciji na engleskom jeziku, kao i da je većina radije komunicirala na engleskom jeziku u manjim skupinama neovisno o obrazovnoj sredini.

• Keywords: willingness to communicate; EFL; online learning setting; face-to-face learning setting; tertiary education
• Keywords (croatian): spremnost na komunikaciju; EFL; online nastava; nastava licem u lice; visoko obrazovanje
• Language: english
• URN:NBN: urn:nbn:hr:131:305684
• Study programme: Title: English Language and Literature (double major); specializations in: Linguistics, Literature and Culture, Translation, TEFL; Course: TEFL; Study programme type: university; Study level: graduate; Academic / professional title: magistar/magistra edukacije engleskog jezika i književnosti (magistar/magistra edukacije engleskog jezika i književnosti)
• Type of resource: Text
• File origin: Born digital
• Access conditions: Open access
• Created on: 2024-09-18 22:15:55