“Family Is Like a Wall”: Exploring Family Emotional Support Behind L2 Willingness to Communicate 
Fan Shengjun  Zeng Ronghui

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Macao Polytechnic University, Macao, 999078;

Abstract：The existing literature on foreign language education mainly centers on the classroom environment, with little attention given to the covert role played by the family microsystem in influencing the communicative psychology of the learners. The current paper discusses the way in which family emotional support can be conceptualized as a hidden motivator of willingness to communicate in a second language (L2 WTC). It is a qualitative multiple-case study design, where six L2 learners with diverse family settings were interviewed in detail. Through the examination of their upbringing, family acceptance of errors and metaphorical projection information, the research investigates what influences family interaction patterns have on individual communicative psychology. The results suggest that the family tolerance of mistakes is positively associated with psychological safety of the learner; families that offer extensive emotional support give them the bravery to participate in trial and error, and high-pressure or critical families tend to make learners rely on silence as a way of defending themselves when communicating. Withdrawal of learners into L2 communication is not only because of linguistic inadequacies but also often covers psychological defenses because of absence of family emotional support. Hence, creating a family emotional safety net that can tolerate mistakes is an essential element in promoting cross-cultural communicative confidence among learners.

Keywords: family emotional support; L2 willingness to communicate; case study; communication patterns

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[19]Fan Shengjun, born in 2002, male, Manchu, Jilin, is a master's degree student at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Macao Polytechnic University, with research interests in English and American Literature and Second Language Acquisition.

[20]Zeng Ronghui, born in 2002, female, Han nationality, Shihezi City, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, is a Master's degree student at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Macao Polytechnic University, with research interests in Emotional Relationships, Marriage and Family Relationships, and Peer Education.