The Mediating Role of Social-emotional Competence in Students’ Perceptions of English Collaborative Reading Classrooms and Willingness to Communicate in a Multilingual Context

Abstract

The present study examines the relationship between perceived collaborative reading classrooms (PCRC), social-emotional competence (SEC), and willingness to communicate (WTC) in multilingual classrooms. Participants were 150 Shui ethnic senior high students in Guizhou, China. Students completed questionnaires of PCRC, SEC, and multilingual WTC, including English willingness to communicate (EWTC), Shui willingness to communicate (SWTC), and Chinese willingness to communicate (CWTC). Descriptive statistics revealed that students reported high levels of PCRC, SEC, and CWTC, while their EWTC and SWTC were at moderate levels. Correlation analyses revealed that PCRC and SEC were weakly associated with both EWTC and CWTC, whereas their associations with SWTC were not significant. Furthermore, mediation analyses showed differential effects across languages. SEC fully mediated the relationship between PCRC and EWTC and SWTC, partially mediated the effect of PCRC on CWTC. The findings offer insights into how to improve students’ WTC in multilingual educational settings.