Belonging and enjoyment as cornerstones of communication in young English as a foreign language learners

Willingness to communicate (WTC) is important in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms as engaging in discourse helps to promote students’ language learning skills. Classroom belongingness and classroom enjoyment have been shown to mediate students’ engagement in classroom activities, as well as their relatedness to fellow students. It is therefore suggested that classroom belongingness and enjoyment have an impact on WTC. Despite this potential link, no research has explored the relationship between classroom belongingness, classroom enjoyment, and WTC among elementary students studying EFL. To address this gap, 300 EFL elementary school learners in Iran completed a questionnaire measuring classroom belonging, classroom enjoyment, and WTC. Results indicated that there was a positive and significant correlation among classroom belonging, classroom enjoyment, and WTC. This study highlights the importance of EFL students’ classroom belonging and enjoyment in their WTC and provides several possible explanations for these correlations. These include the role of respect and support from teachers and peers, learners’ engagement, and the fostering of positive relationships and environments.