Speaking Anxiety and Intercultural Competence as Predictors of Learner’s Willingness to Communicate

Aims: To examine speaking anxiety and intercultural competence as predictors of willingness to communicate.

Study Design: The study employed cross sectional, predictive study design.

Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in selected public schools of Region IX Philippines, during the school year 2023-2024.

Methodology: A three-part questionnaire was employed to 400 Grade 12 students from public schools in Region IX, Philippines, selected through stratified random sampling. Data were analyzed by calculating the mean and standard deviation, using Pearson r, and regression analysis to determine the correlation between the variables.

Results: Learners are sometimes observed with speaking anxiety in various situations. Learners also manifest high or frequently observed attributes in both intercultural competence and willingness to communicate. The study revealed that speaking anxiety and intercultural competence are significantly correlated to the learner’s willingness to communicate. Moreover, regression analysis results pointed out that speaking anxiety is not a significant predictor despite being significantly correlated to the dependent variable which is in contrast to the finding of intercultural competence which manifest a strong influence to the learner’s willingness to communicate.

Conclusion: Between two independent variables, intercultural competence emerged as a significant predictor of learner’s willingness to Communicate. This means that learner’s intercultural competence increases learner’s willingness to engage in communications as it is positively correlated to their willingness to communicate. A positive attitude towards intercultural communication and the people who speak it impacts the learner’s willingness to participate in a more complex communication. Thus, this calls for a more inclusive and culture-responsive classroom instruction.