| A great many researches have shown that learner characteristics such as aptitude, attitudes, motivation, and language anxiety correlated with a wide range of indices of language achievement. In a context where modern language pedagogy places a strong emphasis on authentic communication as an essential part of language learning it would follow, therefore, that individual differences in communication tendencies will play a meaningful role in language-learning outcomes, both linguistic and non-linguistic. Willingness to communicate, as a very complex affective variable in the field of second language acquisition, has received considerable attention since 1990s. MacIntyre (1998: 558) and his associates pointed out willingness to communicate in the second language was regarded as the most direct factor which determined whether language learners would finally participate in the second language communication.English, a mandatory academic subject in universities, is learned as a foreign language throughout China. It is widely recognized that though Chinese students are very good at grammar-based written examinations, they are poor speakers, often designated as'reticent learners'who lack the willingness to communicate (WTC). A fundamental issue of L2 research in China, therefore, is how to generate students'willingness to communicate in classroom settings in order to improve their oral proficiency and thus further improve the effectiveness of English language teaching (ELT)(Wen,2003:19).Accordingly, the present study focuses on features of non-English majors'English WTC in Chinese EFL context, specifically, the features related to their English WTC inside and outside the classroom, the influence of gender and language learning orientations. Based on data collected from 150 non-English major sophomores who are randomly selected from two universities, Chongqing Normal University and Southwest University, four hypothesis are put forward in the following: (1) Students'WTC of these two schools in English is equally the same. (2) Correlations between their English WTC inside and outside the classroom in all 4 skill areas are significant. (3) Gender difference exists in the students'English WTC both inside and outside classroom. (4) Students'language learning orientations are correlated to their English WTC in all four skills; the academic achievement and knowledge orientations would be correlated more positively with high WTC inside the classroom and the social interaction implied by job-related, travel, and friendship orientations correlate highly with WTC outside the classroom.The research instrument is a questionnaire that includes four parts. Part One is mainly used to investigate the demographic information of the subjects and their experiences of English learning. Part Two is English WTC scale. Part Three consists of English WTC inside and outside the classroom scale. Part Four is concerned with language learning orientation scale.The major findings are summarized as follows:⑴In consistence with the first hypothesis, students'English WTC in both schools are not high in the Chinese EFL context.⑵The subjects'English WTC in reading and comprehension inside the classroom are positively related to their WTC in these two skills outside the classroom.⑶Contrary to the third hypothesis, male and female students haven't shown any significant difference in their English WTC inside and outside the classroom.⑷All intercorrelations among the five language learning orientation are significant; travel and academic orientations correlate more positively with English WTC both inside and outside the classroom.The present study have enriched the theoretical background of willingness to communicate and have a profound implication for English language teaching in China.
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