The Paradox of Value and Avoidance: Computer Science Students' Willingness to Communicate in English
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54938/ijemdss.2026.05.5.831Keywords:
Willingness to Communicate (WTC), English as a professional requirement, English as a global necessity, Language anxiety, WTC as a dynamic constructAbstract
Willingness to communicate (WTC) in a second language is measured most commonly with quantitative designs, but the determinant factors of students' willingness or unwillingness to communicate cannot be fully explained by the results of such studies. Qualitative research, however, has the potential to provide a fuller grasp of this phenomenon, but a qualitative exploratory point of view is largely missing from literature. Based on this, the present study is a qualitative descriptive study, which aims to uncover the perceptions of Computer Science students regarding their learning of English-speaking skills at university level and the reasons why they are not willing to speak English in classes. Three constructs were used to frame this inquiry: English as a professional and global necessity, WTC as a dynamic construct, and anxiety as a barrier to communication. All these constructs contribute to the paradox of the high value placed on L2 and low motivation to use L2 by students. Sixteen students were interviewed using semi-structured interviews and the data analyzed thematically to give an in-depth knowledge about this issue. The findings show that learners' attitudes towards English are positive because of the professional and global importance of English; and that learners' experiences of their learning process demonstrate the dynamic nature of language learning and WTC. However, anxiety is seen to be a huge development impediment. In addition, the main problem in the development of English language is not lack of awareness of its importance, but lack of confidence due to language anxiety in using English language in real-time communication.
Downloads
References
Ahmed, S. A., Othman, B. J., Gardi, B., Sabir, B. Y., Ismael, N. B., Hamza, P. A., . . . Anwar, G. (2021). Students' attitudes towards learning English in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences, 6(3), 072–087.
Baker, M. (1988). Theta theory and the syntax of applicatives in Chichewa. Natural Language & Linguistic Theory, 6(3), 353–389.
Bensalem, E., Derakhshan, A., Alenazi, F. H., Thompson, A. S., & Harizi, R. (2025). Modeling the contribution of grit, enjoyment, and boredom to predict English as a foreign language students' willingness to communicate in a blended learning environment. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 132(1), 144–168.
Bhuiyan, M. H. M., Kumar, M. K. B., & Staicu, C. A. (2026). "Write in English, nobody understands your language here": A study of non-English trends in open-source repositories. arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2602.19446
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101.
Cao, Y. (2011). Investigating situational willingness to communicate within second language classrooms from an ecological perspective. System, 39(4), 468–479.
Cao, Y. (2014). A sociocognitive perspective on second language classroom willingness to communicate. TESOL Quarterly, 48(4), 789–814.
Cao, Y., & Philp, J. (2006). Interactional context and willingness to communicate: A comparison of behavior in whole class, group and dyadic interaction. System, 34(4), 480–493.
Dörnyei, Z. (2009). The psychology of second language acquisition. Oxford University Press.
Ejigu, K. M., Anshu, A. H., & Selban, G. L. (2023). Academic English language needs assessment: The case of undergraduate engineering students at Hawassa University. Journal of Curriculum and Teaching, 12(4), 156–173.
Freeman, D. L., & Cameron, L. (2008). Research methodology on language development from a complex systems perspective. The Modern Language Journal, 92(2), 200–213.
Furka, I. (2024). English needs assessment survey for international students of technology at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics in Hungary. Periodica Polytechnica Social and Management Sciences, 32(1), 67–78.
Gardner, R. C. (1985). Social psychology and second language learning: The role of attitudes and motivation. Edward Arnold.
Garrett, P. (2010). Attitudes to language. Cambridge University Press.
Hidayat, M. T. (2024). English language proficiency and career opportunities: Perceptions of Indonesian university graduates.
Hodges, A., & Seawright, L. (2023). Transnational technical communication: English as a business lingua franca in engineering workplaces. Journal of Business and Technical Communication.
Hussain, S. Q., Akhtar, N., Shabbir, N., Aslam, N., & Arshad, S. (2021). Causes and strategies to cope English language speaking anxiety in Pakistani university students. Humanities & Social Sciences Reviews, 9(3), 579–597.
Kemendikbud. (2023). Karya anak bangsa siswa sekolah menengah kejuruan [The nation's children work of vocational high school students]. https://www.vokasi.kemdikbud.go.id/Karya-Anak-Bangsa/SekolahMenengah-Kejuruan
Leeming, P., Vitta, J. P., Hiver, P., Hicks, D., McLean, S., & Nicklin, C. (2024). Willingness to communicate, speaking self-efficacy, and perceived communicative competence as predictors of second language spoken task production. Language Learning, 74(4), 917–949.
Lin, Y., Wang, B., Zhang, G., & Su, Y. (2025). The relations among foreign language anxiety, academic buoyancy and willingness to communicate in EFL classroom. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, Article 1634054.
MacIntyre, P. D., Clément, R., Dörnyei, Z., & Noels, K. A. (1998). Conceptualizing willingness to communicate in a L2: A situational model of L2 confidence and affiliation. The Modern Language Journal, 82(4), 545–562.
Mobarak, K. (2020). Reasons for English language speaking anxiety among students in private universities of Bangladesh. Journal of Education and Social Science, 16, 35–40.
Mohamed, A. A., Radzuan, N. R. M., Fauzi, W., & Harbi, S. (2023). Anxiety could be a good sign: Understanding challenges in developing engineering graduates' technical oral presentation competencies. International Journal of Language Education and Applied Linguistics, 13(1), 29–44.
Mohammad, N., Masum, R., Ali, Z., & Baksh, K. (2018). Teaching practices of English language in the schools of Lasbela District, Pakistan. International Journal of Experiential Learning & Case Studies, 2(2), 34–39.
Mohammed, F. S., & Ozdamli, F. (2024). A systematic literature review of soft skills in information technology education. Behavioral Sciences, 14(10), Article 894.
Munezane, Y. (2013). Attitudes, affect and ideal L2 self as predictors of willingness to communicate. EUROSLA Yearbook, 13(1), 176–198.
Ozdemir, E., & Papi, M. (2022). Mindsets as sources of L2 speaking anxiety and self-confidence: The case of international teaching assistants in the US. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 16(3), 234–248.
Pabro-Maquidato, I. M. (2021). The experience of English speaking anxiety and coping strategies: A transcendental phenomenological study. International Journal of TESOL & Education, 1(2), 45–64.
Patacsil, F. F., & Tablatin, C. L. S. (2017). Exploring the importance of soft and hard skills as perceived by IT internship students and industry: A gap analysis. Journal of Technology and Science Education, 7(3), 347–368.
Pawlak, M., & Mystkowska-Wiertelak, A. (2015). Investigating the dynamic nature of L2 willingness to communicate. System, 50, 1–9.
Phan, H., Kuzminykh, I., & Ghita, B. (2026). Understanding the skills gap between higher education institutions and the software engineering industry. In Emerging trends in computer science and computer engineering education (pp. 457–483). Springer Nature Switzerland.
Rasool, G., & Winke, P. (2019). Undergraduate students' motivation to learn and attitudes towards English in multilingual Pakistan: A look at shifts in English as a world language. System, 82, 50–62.
Safari Moghaddam, M., & Ghafournia, N. (2019). Elaboration on foreign language anxiety in L2 speaking: A study of Iranian EFL learners. International Journal of Foreign Language Teaching and Research, 7(26), 137–156.
Simmons, C. B., & Simmons, L. L. (2010). Gaps in the computer science curriculum: An exploratory study of industry professionals. Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges, 25(5), 60–65.
Tran, T. T. L. (2022). An investigation into the causes of students' anxiety in learning English speaking skills. International Journal of TESOL & Education, 2(3), 183–196.
Wang, Y., Yue, Y., Wang, W., & Zhang, G. (2025). Uncovering non-native speakers' experiences in global software development teams—A Bourdieusian perspective. Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW), 34(1), 41–76.
Xu, J., & Zhang, Y. (2025). The roles of growth mindsets and psychological speaking needs in the relationships between grit and willingness to communicate among foreign language learners. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 1–16.
Yu, Q. (2024). Foreign language anxiety research in System between 2004 and 2023: Looking back and looking forward. Frontiers in Psychology.
Yu, X., & Ma, J. (2024). Modelling the predictive effect of enjoyment on willingness to communicate in a foreign language: The chain mediating role of growth mindset and grit. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 1–18.
Yunus, M., Efendi, E., Ronald, R., Ubaidillah, M. F., & Lee, H. Y. (2023). Willingness to communicate in English: An interview study with Indonesian vocational high school students. Langkawi Journal of The Association for Arabic and English, 9(1), 44–55.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Nazia Imam, Rahat Rizvi
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Under the Creative Common Attribution (CC-BY 4.0) license, authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication.
