Sociopsychological predictors of students’ willingness to communicate in their L1: insights from some Anglophone African countries

This study investigated Anglophone African higher education students’ willingness to communicate in their native language(s) (L1). It primarily looked at how sociopsychological variables (including extraversion, eurocentrism, intergroup attitudes, and intellectual identity) influence students’ desire to initiate a conversation in their L1 in a given communicative context. Through a cross-sectional survey design, data were drawn from 667 students in higher education institutions from seven countries across Africa (Ghana, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Sudan, Rwanda and Kenya). A partial least squares structural equation modelling approach was used to analyse the data. All proposed hypotheses in the study were confirmed. Specifically, it was confirmed that extraversion and intergroup L1 attitudes have a statistically significant positive influence on the willingness of higher education students to communicate in their L1. Eurocentrism and intellectual identity construction among students had a significant negative influence on their willingness to communicate in their L1. These findings suggest that students who exhibit a stronger Eurocentric orientation and a stronger desire to project an intellectual identity in a given communicative context are less inclined to communicate in their L1. Based on these statistical insights, the study provides constructive recommendations for language policy considerations.