EFL Willingness to Communicate Across Communication Contexts and Vocational Majors
A Descriptive Study of Indonesian Vocational High School Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24256/foster-jelt.v7i4.534Keywords:
Communication Contexts, EFL Students, Vocational High School, Willingness to CommunicateAbstract
This study investigated Willingness to Communicate (WTC) in English among Indonesian vocational high school students across different communication contexts and vocational majors. Many vocational students remain reluctant to communicate in English despite having sufficient linguistic competence, particularly in formal classroom situations. This study employed a quantitative descriptive research design involving 233 tenth-grade students from several vocational high schools in Jakarta, representing Business and Management, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Hospitality and Tourism, and Health and Social Care majors. Data were collected using a questionnaire adapted from Lee & Drajati (2020), consisting of 24 items measuring WTC across inside and outside-the-classroom communication contexts. Descriptive statistical analysis was applied to the 14 close-ended items, while the 10 open-ended items were analyzed thematically to support interpretation of the quantitative findings. The results showed that students generally demonstrated a positive level of WTC, with higher willingness found in informal, peer-related, and low-stakes situations, and lower willingness in formal and evaluative contexts such as classroom presentations and teacher interactions. Descriptive WTC patterns also varied across vocational majors, broadly aligning with each program's communication orientation, although the subgroup sizes differed considerably and these patterns should be interpreted as observed variations rather than firm group differences. Teachers are encouraged to design interactive and supportive speaking activities that bridge students' informal communicative strengths with formal classroom demands.
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