Stimulating Willingness to Communicate for Learners of English : A literature review of teachers’ possibilities of facilitating Willingness to Communicate in the Swedish EFL classroom

Abstract: In ESL/EFL classrooms all over the world, teachers sometimes struggle with stimulating students’ willingness to communicate (WTC). Since communication is arguably the essential goal for all language learning and in order to secure that learning takes place, teachers need to create conditions that stimulate WTC. This limited literature review aims to investigate what predicts and stimulates WTC, and teachers’ possibilities of enhancing it in classrooms. The results of this review suggest that reducing anxiety and increasing self- perceived confidence through the creation of a learning environment that is supportive, motivating, and joyful facilitates WTC. Teachers are the key to stimulating WTC by providing increased explicit feedback and establishing high-quality relationships with students. In addition, this review suggests a dynamic relationship between learning and WTC.