How Can We Promote Students’ Intention to Study Abroad? Comparison of Willingness to Communicate in an L2 and Self-Efficacy toward Learning English

Because of the needs of our global society, one of the most critical tasks for educators in tertiary education in Japan is the promotion of student participation in study abroad programs. This study attempts to investigate how communication confidence, willingness to communicate (WTC) in L1 and L2, and self-efficacy toward English learning as perceived behavioral control contribute to the intention to participate in study abroad programs, using the Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen, 1980, 1991; Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975, 1981) and the WTC model developed by Yashima (2002). One hundred forty-seven university students were included in this study. According to a structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis, the assumed model showed goodness of fit (the chi-square goodness of fit index was not significant [χ2(18)=21.72, n.s.]), goodness of fit index =.96, adjusted goodness of fit =.93, and root mean square error of approximation=.04). Further, a detailed analysis of the model revealed the following three significant insights: 1) WTC in an L2 has more influence on intention to participate in a study abroad program (p<.01) than self-efficacy toward learning English (p<.05), 2) confidence in L2 communication has a more significant impact on WTC in an L2 (p<.01) than self-efficacy toward learning English (p<.05); and 3) the path from confidence in L1 communication to confidence in L2 communication was significant (p<.01). The results of the current study suggest that to promote the intention to study abroad among students, communication confidence in both Japanese and English should be improved outside language classrooms.