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 .85 to .90+.
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.