Investigating relationship among pre-service EFL teachers' intercultural communicative competence and foreign language enjoyment toward their willingness to communicate

The main aim of this study was to investigate the explanatory capacity of Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) and Foreign Language Enjoyment (FLE) in influencing Willingness to Communicate (WTC) among ELF students. The study was designed to examine the associations of ICC, FLE and WTC among a group of 123 Pre-service EFL teachers at a state university in Turkey. A mixed-methods approach was utilized to accomplish this, integrating quantitative analysis via three scales of questionnaires with qualitative investigation through two semi-structured interview questions directed at a subset of eight participants. This study identified a substantial correlation between ICC and WTC, as well as between FLE and WTC. Moreover, FLE was identified as a predictor of learners' willingness to communicate (WTC). Additionally, there was a weak but significant positive correlation between ICC and WTC. This research comes to an end by emphasizing the important function of ICC and FLE in facilitating effective communication among Pre-service EFL teachers. The study concluded with a discourse on educational implications and recommendations for further research. Keywords: EFL Learners, Foreign Language Enjoyment (FLE), Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC), Pre-service EFL Teachers, Willingness to Communicate (WTC)