Exploring Teachers? Understandings of Willingness to Communicate and Its Facilitation in a Chinese Internationalized High School

Many students who learn English as an additional language can understand it well but hesitate to speak in class. This study explored how teachers understand this issue in a Chinese internationalized high school (CIHS). In this type of school, students are non-native English speakers who learn subjects through English, and many hope to study abroad in the future. Because of this, being able and willing to communicate in English is especially important. The study focused on teachers as they play an important role in shaping classroom experiences. Six teachers from a CIHS were interviewed about what helps or prevents students from speaking, how they see their role in helping students become more open to speak, and what strategies they use in class. The findings showed that teachers believed students are more willing to speak when they feel confident, especially when they trust their English ability or understand the lesson content well. In contrast, anxiety, fear of mistakes, and worry about being judged by others were seen as common reasons why students hesitate to speak. Teachers also believed they could make a positive difference by creating supportive classroom environments, using group tasks, and building friendly relationships with students. The study shows that teachers’ understanding can be important in shaping the classroom conditions and support that encourage non-native English-speaking students to speak more confidently.

This study may be useful for teachers, school leaders, and international schools because it highlights the importance of teachers own understandings of students willingness to communicate. The findings suggest that teachers' interpretations of willingness to communicate were broadly consistent with key ideas in the literature, particularly the importance of confidence, anxiety, and emotional readiness. This matters because when teachers understand why students may hesitate to speak, they may be better able to choose supportive classroom practices rather than simply treating silence as a lack of effort. For school leaders, the study suggests that supporting teachers professional understanding of communication in second language learning is important. Professional development should therefore not only focus on teaching techniques, but also help teachers reflect on how students confidence, anxiety, and classroom relationships shape participation. Providing teachers with time and flexibility to apply this understanding may support more meaningful opportunities for students to use English.