Factors Influencing Speakers' Feeling of Security during L2 Communication

Security, a feeling of being safe from fears, is one of the psychological antecedents to willingness to communicate (WTC) (Kang, 2005). This qualitative study reports on factors that influence speakers' feeling of security during second language (L2) communication. Twelve Korean students studying in a university in the US participated in this study. The participants' natural conversation data were recorded in various settings and stimulated recalls were conducted as they watched their recorded conversations. This study found that L2 speakers' feeling of security was affected by various factors: (1) speaker factors, (2) interlocutor factors, and (3) speaker-interlocutor relational factors. Drawing on the findings, this study suggests that L2 educators should understand how L2 learners' feeling of security can be influenced by the various factors and try to help L2 learners feel secure in their language classrooms. In so doing, L2 educators can help L2 learners create or increase their WTC, actively participate in their classroom discussions, and facilitate their language learning.