The Influence of Creating and Sharing English Video on Social Media Platform on the Willingness to Communicate in English of Chinese Sophomore Majoring in English: a Case Study

Abstract

<p>In recent years, there has been a problem that the speaking skills of many Asian EFL (English as a Foreign Language) Learners’ are relatively poor, and these learners usually also have a lower level of willingness to communicate in the second language (L2WTC). On the other hand, Jauregi et al. found that video internet communication had a positive effect on EFL students' L2WTC. This case study thus investigated this issue among seven Chinese sophomores majoring in English from Guangdong province in South China. They were guided to create and share English videos on social media platforms for 40 days (2 hours per week). Subsequently, individual interviews were held with each student, based on the revised L2WTC theory by Lee and Drajati. Thematic analysis was conducted to determine whether and how students' L2WTC levels were improved. The analysis results turned out that a higher students' motivation to learn, create and share English videos, an increased frequency of English use, and the entertainment aspect of social media platforms reduced students' psychological pressure. All these factors promoted an improvement in L2WTC levels. However, the insufficient learning duration and intensity of the intervention resulted in limited improvements.<br></p>