Abstract Over the past two decades, a huge amount of survey accentuated antecedents and consequences of willingness to communicate (WTC). Despite this valuable massive research endeavor, few, if any, serious efforts revolved around investigating language teachers’ conceptualization as one of the immensely determining components of language learning process in terms of WTC. The purpose of this study is to investigate and compare English-for-general-purposes (EGP) and English-for-specific-purposes (ESP) teachers’ conceptualization concerning WTC construct. In order to formulate our theoretical framework and answer the research questions, we based our study on exploring the perspectives of one hundred and thirty one ESP and EGP teachers (from universities in Maragheh and Tabriz) regarding WTC. The data, gathered through questionnaire, was analyzed using an independent samples t-test. The results revealed that ESP teachers were more knowledgeable than EGP teachers as far as WTC was considered. One of the implications of this survey on WTC construct might be helping teachers equip themselves with viable and practical ways of making language learners more willing to communicate in the classroom. The outcome presented in this study can be used for authorities, curriculum developers, and teacher training programs.
