Effects of general trust as a personality trait on willingness to communicate in a second language

doi:10.1016/j.paid.2021.111286

Personality and Individual Differences

Volume 185, February 2022, 111286

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2021.111286 Get rights and content

Highlights

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This study showed that general trust positively influenced WTC in English.
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Perceived communicative competence in English mediated the effect of general trust.
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Study 1 targeted university students in Tokyo.
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Study 2 targeted the general population in Tokyo.
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Study 3 targeted seven prefectures from North to South Japan.

Abstract

This study shows the positive effect of general trust on willingness to communicate (WTC) in a second language (L2), mediated by perceived communication competence in L2. Studies have focused on the Big Five personality traits as fundamental factors predicting WTC in L2, but the present study shows the significant effects of general trust as a personality trait. For Study 1, which targeted university students in Tokyo, hierarchical regression analysis showed that general trust positively affected WTC in English, while the mediation analysis showed that general trust positively influenced WTC in English via perceived communication competence in English. Study 2, targeting Tokyo's general population, replicated the findings of Study 1. Study 3, targeting the general population in seven prefectures in Japan, replicated the findings of Studies 1 and 2. The findings imply necessary interventions in L2 education.

Introduction

The goal of language learning is positive communication between people who speak different languages and are from different backgrounds (MacIntyre, Clément, Dörnyei, & Noels, 1998). The use of a second language (L2) plays a crucial role in language acquisition (Yu, Li, & Gou, 2011). However, the degree of L2 communication behavior is low for East Asian people, such as the Japanese. In a globalized society, behavior is important to coexist, and to suggest suitable interventions in L2 education, it is necessary to identify the psychological factors that influence the behavior. The present study focused on general trust as a psychological factor.

Section snippets

Literature review

Researchers have tried to identify the psychological factors that influence L2 communication behavior in a second or foreign language, for example, among Canadians (MacIntyre et al., 1998; MacIntyre, Baker, Clément, & Conrod, 2001; MacIntyre & Charos, 1996) and Asian people, such as Japanese (Hashimoto, 2002; Ito, 2013; Yashima, 2002; Yashima, MacIntyre, & Ikeda, 2018; Yashima, Nishide, & Shimizu, 2004), Chinese (Peng & Woodrow, 2010), Koreans (Li, 1998), and Malaysians (Yousef, Jamil, & Razak,

Methods and results

Through three studies, the positive effect of general trust on WTC in English as L2 for Japanese people was examined. For Study 1, targeting university students in Tokyo, it was examined whether general trust positively affected WTC in English and general trust positively influenced WTC in English via perceived communication competence in English.

In Study 2, targeting the general population in Tokyo, the effects of Study 1 were examined. Study 1 included Japanese university students in Tokyo.

Study 1

The purpose of Study 1, targeting university students in Tokyo, was to examine whether general trust positively affected WTC in English and whether general trust positively influenced WTC in English via perceived communication competence in English. They mainly went to university and belonged to circles or communities or did part-time jobs.

Study 2

The purpose of Study 2, targeting the general population in Tokyo, was to examine whether general trust positively affected WTC in English and whether general trust positively influenced WTC in English via perceived communication competence in English. As stated above, general trust is formed by the surrounding social environment of individuals. Therefore, it was important to target different populations with different surrounding social environments to examine the effect of general trust on

Study 3

The purpose of Study 3, targeting the general population in 7 prefectures from north to south in Japan, was to examine whether general trust positively affected WTC in English and whether general trust positively influenced WTC in English via perceived communication competence in English. According to Iwatani and Muramoto (2017), Hokkaido, Fukuoka, and Tokyo are the prefectures where interpersonal relationships and networks are flexible, but Akita, Yamagata, Toyama, Fukui, and Wakayama are less

Discussion

Through the three studies, it was shown that general trust was a crucial factor for WTC in L2. For Study 1, which targeted university students in Tokyo, hierarchical regression analysis showed that after controlling for the control variables and the Big Five personality traits, general trust positively affected WTC in English. However, if perceived communication competence in English was added, which was considered the strongest predictor for WTC in English, general trust did not affect WTC in

Conclusion

The present study showed the positive effect of general trust on WTC in English, and the effect was mediated by perceived communication competence in English for Japanese people. Previous studies have focused on the Big Five personality traits as the fundamental factors to predict WTC in L2, but the present study showed the significant effects of general trust as a personality trait. The present study has implications for intervention in L2 education because general trust positively affected

CRediT authorship contribution statement

Takehiko Ito: Conceptualization, Investigation, Formal analysis, Data curation, Writing – original draft, Validation.

Declaration of competing interest

The author has no conflicts of interest to disclose.

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^☆: This study was supported by The Inoue Enryo Memorial Grant 2020, Toyo University.

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Effects of general trust as a personality trait on willingness to communicate in a second language☆

Highlights

Abstract

Introduction

Section snippets

Literature review

Methods and results

Study 1

Study 2

Study 3

Discussion

Conclusion

CRediT authorship contribution statement

Declaration of competing interest

Journal of Research in Personality

System

Big Five personality development in adolescence and adulthood

European Journal of Personality

Turkish college students’ willingness to communicate in English as a foreign language

Person, places, and personality: Career assessment using the revised NEO personality inventory

Journal of Career Assessment

Stability and change in personality from adolescence through adulthood

A Meta-analysis of L2 willingness to communicate and its three high-evidence correlates

Journal of Psycholinguistic Research

The power of openness to experience, extraversion, L2 self-confidence, classroom environment in predicting L2 willingness to communicate

International Journal of Instruction

Statistical power analyses using G*power 3.1: Tests for correlation and regression analyses

Behavior Research Methods

L2 motivation and personality as predictors of the second language proficiency: Role of the Big Five traits and L2 motivational self-system

Canadian Social Science