چكيده
This quasi-experimental study takes the initiative to test the effect of transcribed vs. non-transcribed listening tasks on Iranian intermediate EFL learners' willingness to communicate (WTC). A number of 96 Iranian freshmen and sophomores English-major university students taking Conversation II in Sufi Razi and Payame Noor University of Zanjan filled in NELSON proficiency test and MacIntyre's (2001) REVISED VERSION OF WTC INSIDE THE CLASSROOM questionnaire, prior to the main study, to achieve homogeneity concerning language proficiency and self-report WTC, respectively. Based on mean plus and mines one SD, 68 subjects were selected and non-randomly divided into two experimental groups, namely Experimental Group I and II (each included 34 subjects) who besides were proved to be homogeneous based on their behavioral WTC, were respectively given eight 11-16 minute TOEFL iBT listening tasks with and without transcriptions, and questions for eight consecutive weeks. Further, both groups' actual conversations were audio recorded and observed by two observers, once at the beginning and once at the end of the study, based on Cao's (2009) WTC Classroom Observation Scheme in which its inter-rater reliability on pre- and post-test was calculated and proved through two chi-square analyses. The collected data were tabulated and analyzed via four distinctive t-tests and three chi-square tests. The Results of t-tests proved normality and homogeneity assumptions of both experimental groups in terms of language proficiency and self-report WTC, prior to the main study. Further, the results of chi-square tests revealed significant difference between the transcribed group’s WTC behaviors on pre- and post-test, while no significant difference is shown between the non-transcribed group’s WTC behaviors on pre- and post-test. In addition, the result of chi-square indicated that the transcribed group significantly used more WTC behaviors on the post-test than the non-transcribed group. Therefore, this study proved that transcribed listening tasks have positive significant effect on Iranian intermediate EFL learners' WTC.
Key Words: Willingness to Communicate, Transcribed Listening Tasks, Non-transcribed Listening Tasks
