To talk or not to talk? Willingness to communicate in English as an L2: Investigating Greek learners’ perspectives and their teachers’ perspectives and strategies in Greece

Abstract The paper describes a research study examining students’ self-reported willingness to communicate (WTC) in English as a foreign language (EFL) and also teachers’ perspectives on the importance of WTC in class. It aims to understand what EFL and ESL teachers do in their teaching practices to promote students’ WTC and how these practices affect students’ WTC. An investigation is made between students (adults) studying in Greece (EFL) and their teachers’ strategies from the School of English Language and Literature at a university in Greece. Employing a qualitative approach to research design, data is collected through semi-structured interviews , classroom observations and observation notes. Thematic analysis and grounded theory were employed to analyze the data. Findings reveal that students’ WTC is influenced by the topic, mood, fear of judgment and strategies of the teachers. Teacher participants reported using various strategies including recast, eye contact, variety of materials and humor to enhance their students’ WTC. Pedagogically, these findings suggest that fostering WTC among Greek students requires a focus on two significant areas: selecting engaging topics and creating a positive, low-anxiety classroom environment that encourages risk-taking when speaking.