Article Reviews
Shimizu, Kazuaki, Tomoko Yashima, and Lori Zenuk-Nishide.
“The Influence of Attitudes and Affect on Willingness to Communicate
and Second Language Communication” Language Learning vol 54
(Pgs 119-145).
This article by Kazuaki Shimizu, Tomoko Yashima and Lori Zenuk-Nishide questions the factors that contribute to a learner’s willingness to communicate in a second language, not only inside, but also outside the classroom. This article highlights the results of two investigations conducted with Japanese adolescents learning English, emphasizing on their willingness to communicate using the L2 within a classroom environment, as well as their WTC (willingness to communicate) with their host family members. The researches propose that there is a relationship between a learner’s WTC and the attitude and motivation that the learner has, which determines how frequent he or she communicates in the L2.
The
first investigation involves 166 participants that were studying at a high school in
Kyoto. The school’s program was different for the Japanese students in the sense that
there were two homeroom teachers instead of one for each class and that one of the
teachers was a native speaker of English. The
ages of the participants were between 15 and 16 years old.
The students were handed a questionnaire, after having studied for three
complete months, containing questions about motivation intensity, desire to learn English,
approach avoidance, interest in international vocation, interest in foreign affairs, and
willingness to communicate in English.
The
results of this study indicated that the students that were more interested in trying to
communicate in the L2 with peers and the host family members were more likely to initiate
communication in the classroom, while the students that did not initiate communication in
the classroom, mainly waited to be called on in class rather than volunteer to answer any
questions. These students did not show any WTC outside the classroom with other peers and
host family members. I would like to add that
factors like the host’s availability and willingness to participate in communication
with the student can play an interesting and defining role in engaging the student in an
actual communicating environment.
The
second investigation emphasizes on the learner’s WTC based on motivation, willingness
to learn English, as well as the learner’s perception of his or her level of
competency. The participants in this study
were high school Japanese students, just as in the first investigation, who were studying
in the United States for a complete year. The
students had to stay with a host family for three weeks before going off to the schools
they were assigned to. Before the students
had left to study in the United States, they were handed a questionnaire to complete at
home. The questions were based on the same
questions of the first investigation. Then,
the students were given a second set of questions at the end of the first three weeks of
the program. These questions focused mainly
on how often and the amount of time the learner participated in communicating with the
host family.
The
results of this project concluded that those that had a much higher score on the first
list of questions were involved in communication more frequently and for a longer period
of time than those who had scored lower. Also,
according to this study, it was concluded that the way an individual views his or her
skills to communicate in a second language has an effect on his or her performance. The students that had self-confidence
initiated communication among their peers and with their host family members.
The authors believe, and I personally agree with them, that it is necessary to have confidence in one’s communication skills for an individual to be willing to communicate in the second language. It is also shown in this article, that the students with a greater interest in foreign affairs, job opportunities, and other activities are definitely more willing to try to communicate in the second language.
I found the results of this article to be very realistic especially when it comes to the students’ motivation or lack there of when learning a second language. I also agree that the students that have some type of interest, such as learning a language for a job or even for traveling, are the ones that do participate more and have the desire to communicate and practice their skills. This is exactly why teachers should be more aware of: their students’ interests and reasons for taking the class. I believe that when knowing what type of students he or she has, and why they are taking the course, the teacher is able to plan a more interesting curriculum that addresses directly his/her students’ needs, assuring to a greater extent the required motivation to involve the students in communication in the target language not only inside the classroom, but also beyond it.
Grosse, Christine Uber. “The Competitive Advantage of Foreign Languages and Cultural
Knowledge.” Modern Language Journal Fall 2004. 352-367
The article “The Competitive Advantage of Foreign Languages and Cultural Knowledge” written by Christine Uber Grosse discusses the importance of knowing and being familiar with a foreign language and having some cultural knowledge in order to be successful in business. Grosse conducted an online survey asking 2,500 alumni from Thunderbird, The Garvin School of international Management, various questions about whether their foreign language skills and cultural knowledge had given them a competitive advantage at work. There were five main questions that were asked. Some of the questions were: 1. What languages do Thunderbird graduate speak, and how did the alumni acquire their foreign language skills? 2. What competitive advantage do foreign language skills and cultural competence give executives at work? 3. How have companies recognized and rewarded foreign language and cultural competence of alumni? There was a significant response to each of these questions. Within the ten days, the required time to complete the survey, 581 alumni responded.
The answers to research question one indicated that according to the alumni there are three important sources for acquiring a foreign language. The most important response given was that when acquiring a language, it is necessary to live abroad. I strongly agree with the alumni. I believe that immersion programs are very beneficial for learners acquiring the language. The learners are surrounded not only by the language day after day, but the culture as well, which is an important aspect in learning a second language. The other important sources that the alumni agreed that help individuals learn another language were classroom settings, travel, and family and friends. One alumnus wrote “Languages are learned in the country, culture…if this type of environment can be created in the educational system then learning of the language is strengthened”.
The second and third research questions asked the alumni if they had any competitive advantage for knowing a foreign language and if their companies rewarded them for their skills. 82% of the alumni agreed that their foreign language skills and cultural knowledge gave them a competitive advantage in the workplace. One alumnus wrote “Language skills and the ability to adjust to multiple cultures raise the level of effectiveness significantly. It becomes much easier to get things done and lowers the stress level associated with being an expat to manageable proportions”. Also, the alumni said that benefits are more rewarding for knowing a foreign language. Some of the benefits are travel opportunities, overseas assignments, written and oral recommendations, promotion, and a raise in their salary. I am excited to see that most companies are recognizing the importance of knowing a foreign language and culture by rewarding their employees. This perhaps will create motivation among others to learn another language and continue building on the languages they already know.
In my opinion, I believe that in today’s society there is a demand and need for people to be able to communicate with others that do not speak English, since there are a great number of businesses within the United States that send employees to travel and work with people of other nations. According to the survey, I believe that business people are becoming more aware of the importance of a second language, and are opening their minds by expanding their companies internationally and by creating ties with other companies. To be able to do this, the barriers of language and culture should be overcome by the willingness and motivation to learn not only the language itself, but also any cultural aspect that may contribute to bring success and growth in this business competitive world.