The Gap Between Knowing and Speaking

Speaking is an important part of learning English as a foreign language because it allows learners to use English for real communication. However, many EFL learners may know vocabulary and grammar but still hesitate when they need to speak. This problem is especially common among young learners, who may feel shy, afraid of mistakes, or unsure about how to interact with classmates.

This thesis uses Willingness to Communicate (WTC) to understand why learners decide to speak or remain silent in class. MacIntyre et al. (1998, p. 547) define L2 WTC as learners' readiness to enter communication at a particular time with specific people in the second language. In the classroom, this readiness can change depending on the task, peer group, teacher support, and emotional atmosphere.

The aim of this thesis is to examine how Grade 2 learners' WTC-related participation changed during repeated speaking activities in a small EFL classroom. The study focuses on four learners aged 7–8 in a Polish primary school. It investigates their observed speaking behaviour, confidence, anxiety, and responses to different speaking tasks.

Chapter 1 discusses speaking as an EFL skill and reviews speaking activities and classroom interaction.

Chapter 2 presents WTC as the main theoretical framework, introducing the L2 WTC pyramid model that links stable trait factors with situational antecedents.

Chapter 3 discusses emotions, motivation, teacher support, peer relations, and the two key affective constructs used in the study — self-perceived communicative competence (SPCC) and foreign language classroom anxiety (FLCA).

Chapter 4 presents the empirical part: the research design, classroom context, speaking activity set, data collection instruments, findings, limitations, and recommendations for teachers.