Culture and Willingness to Communicate (WTC) in English among Chinese International Learners in a Public University in Malaysia

Qiu Tianyu and Nur Salwa Abd. Wahid
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Qiu Tianyu: Language Academy, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Nur Salwa Abd. Wahid: Language Academy, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 2025, vol. 9, issue 1, 4259-4289

Abstract: This study examines the influence of culture on willingness to communicate (WTC) in English and explores recommendations on how to increase WTC in the target language among Chinese International students at a public university in Malaysia. Utilizing qualitative research method, semi-structured interviews were conducted in order to investigate the primary cultural factors influencing WTC. 5 postgraduate students from the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities (FSSH) and 5 undergraduate students from the Faculty of Computing (FC) were selected for semi-structured interviews. The findings reveal that cultural values such as the exam-oriented education system and “cramming†teaching approach have a significant impact on students’ English communicative performance. Under the collectivist cultural background of “face first†, the concepts of “not showing off†and “not confident†affect students’ communicative intentions to some extent. Based on the above results, this study provides reasonable suggestions for educators and policy makers to improve the language communication skills of international learners.

Date: 2025
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