Testing a model of WTC based on Ideal L2 Self and grit among Learners of Persian as a Foreign Language

Because of its fundamental role in improving learners’ communicative competence, willingness to communicate (WTC) has been the focus of attention in the field of second language acquisition (SLA). A bulk of research has investigated the antecedents of WTC in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) setting. However, this construct has not received much attention for the learners of other foreign languages. As an attempt to shed more light on this domain of research, this research sought to investigate the effects of grit and ideal L2 self as predictors of L2 WTC among learners of Persian as a foreign language. For this purpose, a number of 153 Persian learners among the international students of University of Kurdistan were selected as the participants. The data were collected by distributing the instruments measuring the three target constructs (i.e., WTC, grit, and ideal L2 self). A structural equation modeling (SEM) approach was utilized to test the hypothesized structural models for the relations between these variables. The SEM results indicated that although both variables significantly affected WTC, the unique effect of ideal L2 self was greater than grit for learners of Persian as a foreign language. The implications of these findings are discussed at the end.
Extended Abstract:
Because of its fundamental role in improving learners’ communicative competence, willingness to communicate (WTC) has been the focus of attention in the field of second language acquisition (SLA). A bulk of SLA research has investigated the antecedents of WTC in the English-as-a-Foreign-Language setting. However, this construct has not received much attention with respect to the learners of other foreign languages. As an attempt to shed more light on this domain of research, the present study sought to investigate the effects of grit and ideal self as predictors of second language (L2) WTC among learners of Persian as a Foreign Language. For this purpose, a number of 153 learners of the Persian language among the international students majoring in the University of Kurdistan were sampled as the participants. The sampled participants were of different genders, ages, and academic backgrounds. The required data were collected by distributing the instruments measuring the three target constructs (i.e., WTC, grit, and ideal L2 self). For the purpose of data analysis, a structural equation modeling (SEM) approach was utilized to test the hypothesized structural models for the relations between these variables.
The SEM results obtained in this study indicated that although both variables significantly affected WTC, the unique effects of the ideal L2 self was greater than those of grit with respect to Persian-as-a-Foreign-Language learners. This means that those learners of the Persian language that have a clearer image of their future ideal self as L2 learners and users will have a greater tendency to communicate in the Persian language in the classroom context. Further, according to the findings, learners with higher levels of grit would tend to exhibit greater perseverance when faced with opportunities to participate in communicative activities in the classroom, despite the various setbacks they encounter in the course of learning Persian as a Foreign Language. Overall, the findings of the current study highlight the important role of both ideal L2 self and grit in communicating via the L2 Persian inside the instructional context.
There were a number of limitations in this study that would constrain the generalizability of the findings. First of all, the data collected in this study were based on the participants’ self-report responses; the problem is that the participants might have yielded responses that were socially desirable and would save their face. In addition, the quantitative data of the study would not provide a chance for assessing the incentives behind the participants’ L2 communication behaviors in the classroom (e.g., the reasons for being reticent and unwilling to communicate in the Persian language). Therefore, a natural progression of this quantitative study is to triangulate its findings with qualitative data collection and analysis through, for example, semi-structured interviews or focus-group discussion. Nonetheless, the obtained findings on the relationship between the ideal L2 self and grit, on one hand, and L2 WTC, on the other hand, provide us with fruitful insights into the psychology of learning Persian as a foreign or an additional language within instructional settings. In addition, the topic of the study would give impetus to further exploration of the role that other individual difference factors play in learning Persian as a Foreign Language, with potentially significant repercussions for research on foreign languages other than English.
The findings of this study also have a number of significant pedagogical implications for the practice of L2 Persian teaching and learning. Given that the construct of ideal L2 self was found to be positively associated with the participants’ WTC, L2 Persian teachers should be more sensitive about helping their learners develop a vision of a future self as a competent and confident learner and user of the Persian Language. It follows that the pedagogical strategies for achieving this goal should enhance L2 Persian learners’ WTC, both within the L2 classroom and beyond. For example, having students meet tangible and achievable objectives for L2 Persian learning through more active participation in the classroom communication can be particularly helpful. In a similar vein, teachers should equip themselves with repertoires of classroom activities aimed at enhancing L2 Persian learners’ ideal L2 self and grit. The existing literature (e.g., Dörnyei, 2018) can help L2 Persian teachers with developing positive L2 selves in their learners. For boosting L2 Persian learners’ awareness of the importance of grit, narrating stories about gritty individuals who are fluent in the L2 and holding meeting sessions with fluent nonnative speakers of the Persian language can be very inspiring (see Lee, 2020; Keegan, 2017).