Exploring the interplay of critical thinking dispositions, perceived teacher enthusiasm, willingness to communicate, and gender among Chinese EFL learners

The interplay between critical thinking (CT) skills and willingness to communicate (WTC) among foreign language (FL) learners is well-established. However, the specific influence of CT dispositions on WTC remains insufficiently explored. This study investigated the relationship between CT dispositions and WTC among FL learners. It also examined how teacher enthusiasm moderates this relationship based on principles from social cognitive theory, and further explored potential gender differences in this dynamic employing gender schema theory. A total of 4847 secondary school English learners (M_age = 15.579, SD = 0.546) from China participated in the research, with 46.1 % males and 53.9 % females. Data was collected through self-reported scales measuring perceived teacher enthusiasm, CT dispositions, and WTC. Findings revealed a positive association between CT dispositions and WTC, identifying systematicity, self-confidence in reasoning, inquisitiveness, and cognitive maturity as significant predictors of WTC. Moreover, teacher enthusiasm was found to positively moderate the relationship between CT dispositions and WTC. Additionally, high levels of teacher enthusiasm boosted WTC more significantly for students with high CT dispositions, and this effect was stronger for females than for males. This research carries significant implications for FL teaching, suggesting that fostering teacher enthusiasm and reinforcing CT dispositions could significantly elevate learners’ communicative willingness and overall language proficiency.