Enhancing multifaceted interactions in EFL learning: The roles of classroom social climate, perceived L2 proficiency, and willingness to communicate

Interaction provides second language (L2) learners with opportunities for authentic language use and promotes their language development, underscoring the need to identify factors that contribute to L2 interactions. Drawing on the pyramid model of willingness to communicate (WTC), this study explores how classroom social climate (CSC), perceived L2 proficiency (PLP), and WTC influence students’ multifaceted interactions (MI) with their teachers, peers, and computer tools. A total of 665 Chinese non-English majors voluntarily participated in the study. A two-phase analytical approach combining partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and psychological network analysis (PNA) was employed to examine both linear and non-linear relationships among the variables. The PLS-SEM results showed that CSC and WTC significantly and positively predicted MI, whereas the direct effect of PLP on MI was negligible. WTC significantly mediated the paths from CSC and PLP to MI, with mediating effects exceeding the corresponding direct effects. The PNA further underscores the central position of WTC in the network and its bridging role in linking CSC and PLP to MI. These findings highlight key factors shaping L2 interactions and offer practical implications for language education.