Exploring Students’ Willingness to Communicate in English through Digital Platforms
Keywords:
Willingness to Communicate, Digital Platforms, EFL, Narrative Inquiry, Postgraduate StudentsAbstract
The use of digital platforms in English language learning has transformed the way students communicate and participate in classroom discussions. This study explores students' willingness to communicate (WTC) in English through digital platforms in the context of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). This study employs a qualitative approach, using narrative inquiry, to understand students' real-life experiences of communicating in English within a digital learning environment. The participants in this study were three graduate students from the Master's Program in English Language Education at an Islamic Higher Education institution in Banjarmasin who had used digital platforms such as Zoom, Google Meet, and WhatsApp for English-language learning activities. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and analyzed using narrative analysis. The findings of this study reveal five cross-cutting themes: (1) high competence but low willingness to communicate, (2) platform-specific variations in WTC, (3) perfectionism as an internal barrier, (4) camera anxiety as a digital contextual factor, and (5) small successes as turning points. This study offers pedagogical insights for English language instruction in digital contexts, emphasizing the role of a supportive classroom culture in fostering WTC.
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