Enhancing Willingness to Communicate through Task-Based Language Teaching: The Mediating Role of Utility Value and Intrinsic Value

Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) is a student-centred approach that emphasises meaningful communication through task completion, making it an effective approach for fostering language learning and developing communicative competence. This study investigates the effectiveness of employing the TBLT approach on tertiary students’ Willingness to Communicate (WTC) in English, reflecting their readiness to communicate when given the opportunity. Additionally, the Situated Expectancy Value Theory (SEVT) utilised in this study focuses on Utility Value and Intrinsic Value only as the mediating variables as it captures key motivational factors that could influence students’ engagement and communication behaviours in specific learning contexts. To assess students’ experiences with TBLT and their WTC in a Malaysian public university context, a quantitative research design was employed, utilising a survey questionnaire. Data collected from 217 tertiary students were analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) via SmartPLS. The results reveal that TBLT significantly enhances students’ WTC, highlighting its efficacy as a pedagogical approach. Furthermore, the Utility Value (UV) and Intrinsic Value (IV) components of SEVT emerged as significant mediators, highlighting the importance of designing engaging and practically relevant tasks to students’ goals. Intrinsic Value (IV) refers to the enjoyment and interest derived from engaging in a task, while Utility Value (UV) reflects the perceived practicality and usefulness of the task in achieving long-term goals, such as improving communication skills for academic or professional purposes. The proposed model exhibited strong explanatory and predictive power, with all constructs achieving robust reliability and validity. This study contributes to the growing body of research on TBLT by emphasising the role of SEVT in WTC.