Abstract Background University students around the world learn English as a foreign language (EFL) as it is considered vital for their post‐education opportunities locally and internationally. Optimising English language learning in EFL classrooms at the university is thus important. Aim This study examined the roles of classroom support (teacher‐to‐class support, self‐to‐class support and peer‐to‐class support) and psychological needs satisfaction in Japanese university students' willingness to communicate (WTC) in English in the EFL classroom. Sample and Methods Harnessing self‐determination theory and drawing on a sample of 396 students from five Japanese universities, single (students) and multilevel (students and classrooms) structural equation models were run to elucidate the process implicated in students' WTC in English in the EFL classroom. Results The study found that classroom support for EFL learning predicted psychological needs satisfaction in the EFL classroom and that psychological needs satisfaction predicted students' WTC in English in the EFL classroom. In addition to these direct effects, psychological needs satisfaction significantly mediated the links between classroom support and WTC in English. Conclusion Our results shed light on the role of classroom support in fostering students' needs satisfaction and WTC in English in the EFL classroom. We discuss how our results can help teachers consider the role of support in creating an optimal learning environment in the EFL classroom.
Nakata et al. (2026) studied this question.