THE EFFECTS OF GENDER ON WILLINGNESS TO COMMUNICATE AMONG TURKISH EFL LEARNERS

Abstract

Effective communication in a foreign language is a captivating area of study for language learners, teachers, and researchers alike. Language learners hope to exemplify characteristics conducive to fruitful communication. Language teachers aim to develop beneficial practices and cultivate an atmosphere where students feel willing to share their ideas, knowledge, and opinions in a foreign language. Language researchers endeavor to describe the ideal conditions and learner characteristics for successful communication. The task of analyzing potential factors in successful communication appears endless, yet each new study helps to construct a more comprehensive understanding of the road map to efficacious second language and foreign language communication. This study explored gender’s impact on Turkish university students’ willingness to communicate in English. Gender’s influence was also evaluated in learners’ self-perceived communicative competence, communication apprehension, and personality. The research participants were taken from four universities in different cities of Turkey. The sample (N=282) was composed of Turkish students in English Language Teaching undergraduate programs. This research employed a hybrid design marrying quantitative data from participant questionnaires and qualitative data from participant interviews. The results of the present research concluded that willingness to communicate differs between male (n=119) and female (n=163) language learners, but not to a significant extent. Article visualizations: