Investigating the Relationship between Second Language Learners’ Willingness to Communicate and Their Self-perceived Accent

Abstract

Language learning has always highlighted the importance of meaningful communication. Since willingness to communicate is responsible for the actual act of communication, it is deemed necessary to understand what promotes it and what it is considered as hindrance. In this vein, the present study investigates whether or not the self-perception of third-year students’ accents has an impact on their second language willingness to communicate. The study takes place at Mohammed Seddik Benyahia University, where 70 participants were chosen out of 237 third-year students via random sampling to answer the students’ questionnaire. The questionnaire consists of two sections, each of which measures one variable independently. The qualitative analysis of data was carried out to determine the nature of the correlation that exists between the variables. After interpreting and discussing the data, it was concluded that there is no significant relationship between learners’ self perceived accent and their second language willingness to communicate. Students were indeed found to aim for native accents as models of pronunciation, but this does not mean that they have negative views of their own accents. In fact, they are more inclined to prioritizing intelligibility over sounding like native speakers. Thus, their perceptions of their accents are not a barrier to willingness to communicate using English in the classroom. The research concludes with discussing the possible implications of the findings and outlining the avenues for future resear