Willingness to Communicate Scale – WTC
Measures an individual's predisposition toward approaching or avoiding the initiation of communication across various contexts and receiver types.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Willingness to Communicate Scale – WTC was developed by James C. McCroskey & Virginia P. Richmond (1987). It is designed to measure Willingness to Communicate. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 20 items organized into 7 factors/subscales: Group Discussion, Meetings, Interpersonal Conversations, Public Speaking, Stranger, Acquaintance, Friend.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Group Discussion | 8,15,19 | 3 |
| Meetings | 6,11,17 | 3 |
| Interpersonal Conversations | 4,9,12 | 3 |
| Public Speaking | 3,14,20 | 3 |
| Stranger | 3,8,12,17 | 4 |
| Acquaintance | 4,11,15,20 | 4 |
| Friend | 6,9,14,19 | 4 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 0 = Never (0%), 100 = Always (100%).
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 0 to 100. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Overall WTC: 0 – 51
- Moderate Overall WTC: 52 – 82
- High Overall WTC: 83 – 100
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.85 to 0.90+.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.