Interrelationship Among Variables Affecting Omani Students’ Willingness to Communicate in English

The study elaborates on MacIntyre et al.’s (1998) model of willingness to communicate (WTC) in an L2 by examining the impact of cultural context on shaping the interrelationship among variables affecting Omani students L2 WTC. In developing this mixed-design research, students (n = 204) first answered a questionnaire measuring their perceptions of the effect of various variables on their L2 WTC. Student volunteers (n = 13) were, then, invited to follow-up interviews to collect the qualitative data. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was utilized to examine a hypothesized model that integrated communication and affective constructs. SEM analysis of the model showed a good fit of the data. Self-perceived communication competence (SPCC) was the most potent variable influencing L2 WTC. However, communication anxiety positively correlated with L2 WTC, whereas motivation was indirect to L2 WTC through SPCC. Accordingly, this study adds meaningful sociocultural insights to previous work on L2 WTC.