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Willingness to communicate (WTC), which plays a crucial role in second or foreign language learning, has a dynamic and complex nature, fluctuating during communicative events. This study examines how the situational WTC of four Japanese speakers of English as a foreign language (EFL) emerges and fluctuates, focusing on the roles of language proficiency and affective and conditional factors. Low-intermediate and advanced speakers were engaged in an interactive, communicative activity with an interlocutor. All utterances were recorded, transcribed, and analysed and combined with the qualitative data from participants' self-ratings and a stimulated recall interview after the activity to assess fluctuations in WTC. The findings indicate that levels of WTC are influenced differently between low-intermediate and advanced speakers. Although the WTC of all speakers was negatively affected when they sensed a lack of English proficiency, low-intermediate speakers were affected by interest in the topic, influence of interlocutors on sense of security, and self-confidence, while opportunity to talk about oneself and one's opinions contributed to the WTC of advanced speakers. It is suggested that teaches of EFL should be considerate of these factors that can affect EFL learners' WTC.

Errors naturally appear in spontaneous speeches and conversations. Particularly in a second or foreign language, it is only natural that mistakes happen as a part of the learning process. After an inappropriate expression is detected, it can be corrected. This act of correcting can be initiated either by the speaker (non-native speaker) or the recipient. The former phenomenon is referred to in second language acquisition (SLA) research as self-initiated self-completed repair. This study examined whether the occurrence and the success rate of self-initiated self-repair by 32 Japanese senior high school learners are influenced by grammatical difficulty of triggers (initial errors or mistakes). The results showed the high success rate of self-initiated self-repair regardless of grammatical difficulty of triggers, which implies the importance of creating situations where students can self-initiate to repair their own errors and mistakes.

Willingness to Communicate (WTC) plays a crucial role in second language (L2) learning, and is believed to be closely related to learning in general; the higher a learner's WTC, the better their fluency with the L2. WTC can also be conceptualized as fluctuating from moment to moment during the course of L2 use and communication. This also seems to be true for EFL teachers when conducting classes in the target language, but to date, this has not been tested empirically. Thus, this study explores a Japanese EFL teacher's WTC, focusing on its fluctuation over the course of a lesson. All the teacher's oral L2 and L1 utterances in an EFL class were audio and video-recorded for the analysis, which was based on the quantitative data of the teacher's self-rating of WTC for each utterance, and qualitative data obtained through a stimulated recall interview after the lesson. The results of this observational case study show that the teacher's WTC both increased and decreased. The factors underlying this fluctuating WTC are analyzed through the interview, while the implications of the study and further study directions are also discussed.

Maximizing English as a foreign language (EFL) students' use of their second language (L2), minimizing native language (L1) can help them to develop L2 proficiency. In the monolingual approach, the exclusion of L1 is preferred. However, students' use of their first language (L1) in code-switching or translanguaging can be advantageous. This study examines the effects of L1 use on six advanced EFL speakers' willingness to communicate (WTC) during L2 conversations to evaluate the potential advantages of L1 use in an EFL context. Participants were recruited for the study, presented short speeches, and underwent interviews. L2 (English) use was required, but selective use of L1 (Japanese) was allowed. Thus, code-switching and translanguaging were expected. All participant utterances were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed. Participants self-assessed their WTC for each utterance; a stimulated recall interview was used to collect qualitative data. In general, the result showed that the participants' WTC was somewhat lower when talking in their L1 versus their L2. However, the findings also revealed the complex nature of WTC underlying the use of L1 in the form of code-switching or translanguaging, implying that intentional selective use of L1 can be a positive, effective move in L2 conversations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glyoxylates are essential intermediates in several metabolic pathways and have a broad range of industrial applications. In this study, we propose a novel method for producing glyoxylate from glucose using engineered Escherichia coli BW25113. To direct the production of glyoxylate from glucose, malate synthase A (aceB), malate synthase G (glcB), glyoxylate carboligase (gcl), and glyoxylate/hydroxypyruvate reductase A (ycdW) genes were disrupted, and the glyoxylate shunt was reinforced in the disruptants by the overexpression of citrate synthase (gltA) and isocitrate lyase (aceA). In flask cultivation using M9 medium supplemented with 1% glucose, the disruptant E. coli BW25113 ΔaceB ΔglcB Δgcl ΔycdW produced 0.93 ± 0.17 g/L of glyoxylate. Further overexpression of gltA and aceA in the disruptant resulted in an improvement in glyoxylate production to 1.15 ± 0.02 g/L. By expressing a heterologous gene, pyc, in the engineered E. coli, the accumulation of intracellular oxaloacetate remarkably improved, leading to glyoxylate production of up to 2.42 ± 0.00 g/L with specific productivity at 4.22 ± 0.09 g/g-cell. To date, this is the highest reported titer and specific productivity of glyoxylate in E. coli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of willingness to communicate (WTC) is pivotal in understanding student engagement in English as a foreign language (EFL) classrooms. As a dynamic and multifaceted construct, WTC is subject to continual fluctuations throughout the communication process, often changing situationally. Traditionally, learner silence in class or during second language (L2) conversations is perceived negatively, as it can signal a lack of motivation to speak, thereby impeding optimal language acquisition. However, silence can also function as a communicative strategy or reflect learners’ essential feelings and emotions. This study explored the relationship between Japanese EFL learners’ situational WTC and their instances of silence during L2 (English) conversations. Participants were recruited for the study and were asked to deliver short speeches and engage in conversations with a researcher, during which their periods of silence were observed and recorded. All participant utterances were meticulously transcribed and analysed. Additionally, participants self-assessed their WTC for each utterance, and a stimulated recall interview was conducted to gather in-depth qualitative data. The results generally indicated that participants’ WTC was somewhat decreased when silence occurred between and during utterances. However, the findings also revealed the intricate and multifaceted nature of silence in relation to WTC, underscoring the need for a deeper understanding and nuanced consideration of learners’ silence. This study highlights the complexity of the interplay between WTC and silence, suggesting that silence should not be solely viewed as a negative phenomenon but rather as an integral part of the communicative process that warrants careful analysis and understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been argued that learners have to notice the corrective intention of recasts by attending to the linguistic problems in their initial utterances, which means that when learners notice the gap between their erroneous utterance and the recast, learning can occur (Schmidt, 1990). This study examined the effectiveness of recasts on learners' noticing according to recast features, by conducting stimulated recall interviews. The effects of recasts were investigated in terms of error types of learner utterances (i.e. grammatical, lexical or phonological), degree of change in the recast (i.e. one change vs. more than one change), and length of the recast (i.e. short recasts with less than six morphemes vs. long recasts with more than five morphemes). Three advanced Japanese university students engaged in a picture description and a semi-structured interview, during which they received recasts to their erroneous utterances. Following stimulated recall interviews, the participants' noticing of recasts was measured and analyzed. Their verbal reports revealed that the rate of noticing was the highest with phonological recasts, followed by lexical recasts, and grammatical recasts showed the lowest noticing rate. No difference was discerned concerning the number of changes or recast length. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Japanese high school English classes, students are often left to have interactions or perform communicative activities not with a teacher but with other students due to a large class size. In the situation, students are ideally notice their own insufficient utterances in order to carry out self-initiated self-repair. This study investigated self-initiated self-repair attempts and their effects on Japanese high school learners. Thirty-two Japanese high school students with low-intermediate English ability and a native speaker of English participated in the study, with the native speaker interviewing the students. The students' utterances were quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed, and it was found that: self-initiated self-repair occurred frequently and, in general, successfully; error repair was most frequently recorded; the success rate of lexical repair was the lowest. Findings observed during the students' self-initiated self-repair attempts are discussed, followed by discussion of their possible effects. Finally, suggestions are given based on the pedagogical implications from the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]