Willingness to Communicate in the Dutch Bilingual Education Context

Abstract

The English language holds a special place in the Netherlands, functioning more as a second language than as a foreign language (Edwards, 2014). This is reflected in the growing number of bilingual schools in the Netherlands (Messelink, 2018). A total of 116 fifth grade VWO (pre-university) high school students participated in the study, from bilingual (BE) and non-bilingual education (non-BE) streams. Using a multiple regression analysis, it was investigated how various independent variables foreign language classroom anxiety (FLCA), social and private foreign language enjoyment (social FLE, private FLE), students’ attitude towards English, students’ attitude towards their English teacher, the frequency of the teacher’s English use, their self-assessment of language skill, and their language skill compared to peers predicted willingness to communicate (WTC), comparing BE and non-BE students. It was found that WTC and students’ self-assessment of language skill was significantly higher for BE students than for non-BE students. Additionally, FLCA was significantly lower for BE students. The level of WTC for the BE students was unexpectedly high, resulting in a ceiling effect in the distribution. Because of the non-normal distribution, it was decided not to perform a regression analysis for the BE population. For the non-BE students, attitude towards the English language did not significantly predict WTC, which strengthens the status of English as second language in the Netherlands. Only social FLE significantly predicted WTC for the non-BE students. As such, teachers should strive to provide a safe, predictable, fun, and positive classroom atmosphere.