Student-negotiated syllabi boost EFL learner willingness to communicate and academic passion versus teacher-designed syllabi

Collaborative syllabus development between teachers and students has emerged as a promising approach in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instruction. Understanding how such negotiations impact learners’ Willingness to Communicate (WTC) and academic passion is vital for effective pedagogy. This quasi-experimental study examined the effects of teacher-assigned versus student-negotiated syllabi on these two constructs. A total of 200 undergraduate students from six intact classes were randomly assigned at the class level to either an experimental group (student-negotiated syllabus) or a control group (teacher-designed syllabus), ensuring natural classroom conditions while addressing logistical constraints. Participants completed validated measures of WTC and academic passion before and after the intervention. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA), controlling for pretest scores. Findings revealed that students exposed to the negotiated syllabus demonstrated significantly greater improvements in both WTC and academic passion compared to those in the control group. These results highlight the role of learner involvement in fostering engagement, motivation, and communicative confidence in EFL settings. The study underscores the pedagogical value of participatory syllabus design and offers implications for learner-centered curriculum development.