Motivation to speak: Perception and attitude of non-English major students in Taiwan

"I live in Taiwan where everyone speaks Chinese, why do I need to learn to speak English?" This statement ignited my interest in the topic of motivation to speak. How to generate students' willingness to communicate (WTC) to improve oral proficiency has been a key issue for English language teaching in China (Wen and Clement, 2003). Chinese students have been found to be good at grammar-based written examinations but wanting in oral communication skills. The same situation applied to students in Taiwan.;The study was conducted at a university in northern Taiwan. Questionnaires on motivation and anxiety asked 115 non-English majors in two English conversation classes to give their perceptions and attitudes toward English conversation class. Follow-up interviews were conducted with six volunteer students for deeper analysis of their willingness to use English to communicate in the class, and what activities they prefer in English conversation class. Dornyei (2001) notes teachers find their students' motivation fluctuates; such variations may be caused by a range of factors, such as the phase of the school year or the type of activity in the classroom.;The results show that students have positive perceptions and attitudes toward willingness to communicate in English conversation class. Students (56%) indicated that teachers have strong impact on their willingness to use English to participate in class activities. Most students preferred a class size between 15-20 students. Students (81%) preferred more interactive activities such as group discussion on practical and interesting topics and a more relaxing learning environment. The results revealed that students were aware of the importance of the English communication skills, however, they would only use English in class and rarely use English to communicate with others outside the class. Based on these findings, teachers need to be more flexible to fit students' needs such as daily conversation skills, pragmatics, business communication skills and public speaking skills.