Factors Influencing Tibetan College Students’ Willingness to Communicate in Their Second Language in China: A Mixed Methods Study

Abstract

In the context of globalization, Tibetan students’ second language (L2) communication skills are crucial to allow effective intercultural communication and personal development. To better understand and promote the willingness of Tibetan university students to communicate in their L2, this study adapts the theory of planned behavior (TPB) by introducing the concept of “language growth mindset (LGM)” to replace the original model's “Attitude (ATT)” component in conjunction with the L2 motivational self system (L2MSS). This mixed methods study utilized structural equation modelling (SEM) for quantitative analysis and NVivo for the open coding of qualitative interview data. The study participants were 409 Tibetan students from four universities in China. Data were collected using questionnaires and in-depth interviews. The SEM model validated the applicability of TPB and L2MSS in explaining the willingness to communicate in an L2 (L2WTC). The findings indicate that (a) a comprehensive model based on TPB and L2MSS can explain 52.9% of the variance in L2WTC; (b) LGM, Ideal L2 Self (IS), and Ought-to L2 Self (OS) positively influence L2WTC; (c) perceived behavioral control (PBC) positively impacts LGM, while subjective norms (SN) do not affect LGM; and (d) LGM does not mediate the relationship between SN and OS.