Willingness to Communicate Scale – WTC
Measures an individual's predisposition to initiate communication with others when free to choose.
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 and adolescents.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 20 items organized into 7 factors/subscales: Group Discussion, Meetings, Interpersonal, Public Speaking, Stranger, Acquaintance, Friend.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Group Discussion | 8,15,19 | 3 |
| Meetings | 6,11,17 | 3 |
| Interpersonal | 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, 100 = Always.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 0 to 100. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Willingness to Communicate: 0 – 51
- Moderate Willingness to Communicate: 52 – 82
- High Willingness to Communicate: 83 – 100
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.85 – 0.92.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.