The relationship between Chinese EFL college students’ emotional intelligence and willingness to communicate: the mediating roles of foreign language anxiety and classroom communication

The aim of this research was to explore the relationships among Chinese EFL college students’ emotional intelligence, foreign language anxiety and willingness to communicate in English both inside and outside the classroom. Data was collected from 412 participants who volunteered to complete the questionnaire survey. Structural equation modelling with bootstrapping estimation was conducted to test the hypothesised model. The results revealed that emotional intelligence had a significant positive effect on willingness to communicate in foreign language. Moreover, foreign language anxiety and in-class willingness to communicate was found to jointly mediate the relationship between emotional intelligence and willingness to communicate beyond the classroom. Drawn from these research findings, pedagogical implications for EFL instructors are provided.