Gender and Willingness to Communicate

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between Iranian EFL learners’ gender and their willingness to communicate (WTC). It was also an attempt to investigate the relationship between WTC inside and outside the classroom, in general, and among male and female Iranian English language learners inside and outside the classroom situations, in particular. To this end, 30 advanced learners consisting of 15 males and 15 females were randomly selected from an English Language Institute in Asadabad, Hamedan. They were asked to fill out the WTC questionnaire developed by MacIntyre, Baker, Clément, and Conrod (2001). Applying an independent t-test, it was revealed that Iranian EFL female learners are more willing to communicate compared to their male counterparts. Also, the results of another independent t-test showed that Iranian EFL learners’ willingness to communicate does not differ significantly inside and outside the classroom contexts. Finally, the results of a Two-Way ANOVA revealed that Iranian male and female EFL learners did not differ in their willingness to communicate inside and outside the classroom. The findings of the present study are significant in that they have implications for both language teachers and textbook developers.