“Why speak when classroom speaking feels costly?”: meaning in life, enjoyment, engagement, and second-language willingness to communicate among Thai undergraduates

A study conducted among 301 Thai undergraduates investigated the relationship between a sense of meaning in life and willingness to communicate (WTC) in a second language (L2) classroom setting. The research explored whether meaning in life directly or indirectly influences L2 classroom WTC, with enjoyment and engagement posited as potential mediating factors. This study extends previous research that largely focused on classroom emotions, support, and task conditions by considering broader motivational constructs.

Why it matters

Understanding the drivers of participation, particularly in high-effort or visible activities like second language communication, is critical for optimizing learning outcomes and resource allocation in educational settings. Factors such as meaning in life, enjoyment, and engagement, which extend beyond direct pedagogical methods, offer insights into deeper motivational influences that can inform curriculum design and instructional strategies.

Key insights

• Speaking in an L2 classroom is perceived as a high-cost participation activity for many learners, requiring effort and exposing developing L2 abilities.
• The study focused on the potential connection between learners' broader sense of meaning in life and their classroom willingness to communicate (WTC).
• It explored whether meaning in life impacts L2 classroom WTC directly, or indirectly via enjoyment and engagement.
• The research involved 301 Thai-speaking undergraduate L2 learners at a public university in Thailand.
• Self-concordance theory was used as an exploratory lens in the study.

Source

Frontiers in Education — https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2026.1915908