The roles of english varieties and L2 motivation in English learners’ willingness to communicate in the internationalization at home (IaH) context

To meet the challenges of internationalization, universities around the globe have implemented a variety of strategies, including study abroad, academic exchange, and cross-border collaboration. For any of these strategies, it was perhaps inevitable that English would become a crucial means of communication for both native and non-native speakers. The current study investigates the relationship between domestic college students’ perceptions of English varieties (PEV), L2 motivation, and willingness to communicate (WTC) in the internationalization at home (IaH) context. A model linking PEV, L2 motivation, and WTC was proposed. A total of 273 college students at a university in Taiwan responded to a questionnaire consisting of 16 items in four major categories. The results indicate that in the IaH context college students’ PEV significantly affects L2 motivation and only when learners are intrinsically motivated are they willing to communicate interculturally using English. The results suggest that promoting an appreciation for English varieties in the college context strengthens students’ intrinsic motivation to learn English, which may promote the students’ willingness to use English for communication.