A Comparison Between Iranian L3 French and German Learners’ Perception of Factors Influencing Willingness to Speak English in Language Classrooms: A Mixed Methods Study

Abstract

The present study sought to investigate the effect of learning a third language on learners’ willingness to communicate in their second language. The main purpose of the study, however, was to consider the difference between Iranian English/French learners and Iranian English/German learners in their willingness to communicate (WTC) in the second language and to examine the factors influencing their willingness to speak in English. The study benefited from a mixed methodology design comprising both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis. The participants of the study were 20 bilingual learners and 40 trilingual learners, including 20 German learners and 20 French learners. They were selected as the sample population based on their performance on the standard test of OPT (Oxford Placement Test). It was an applied research in which a descriptive survey method had been adopted. A (WTC) questionnaire was used for collecting data. The results indicated a significant difference between bilingual and trilingual learners in their willingness to communicate in English. However, no significant difference was detected between trilingual learners. To verify the quantitative findings and to assess the accuracy of their results, interviews were used. Accordingly, a group of German and French learners was invited for interviews. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve L3 learners to examine the factors influencing willingness to communicate in both groups. The qualitative data derived from interviews were analyzed using NVivo software. No significant difference in the factors affecting willingness to communicate was seen between trilingual groups, which was confirmed by the findings of both quantitative and qualitative methods.