Willingness to communicate in the second language: The influence of self-confidence in the Iranian EFL context

Willingness to communicate is defined as the extent to which learners are prepared to initiate communication when they have a choice. Thus, it can be implied that many affective variables influence WTC and that a single affective variable cannot explain an individual’s willingness to communicate (Ellis, 2008) .The causes of willingness to communicate are multiple, usually involving a series of various social, affective, cognitive factors. One of these variables that may influence WTC is perceived self-confidence. For this reason, this qualitative case study investigates the Iranian EFL students' beliefs about the role of self-confidence in their willingness to communicate. It also explores their' perceptions of their willingness to communicate. For this purpose, data were gathered by various instruments: a questionnaire, interviews, and observations. Participant observations and interviews helped the researcher understand the participant's observed behavior. The results indicated that students' willingness to communicate is related to their perceived self-confidence.