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Publication Date: March 25, 2021
DOI:10.14738/assrj.83.9277.
Lababidi, R. (2021). Foreign Language Writing Anxiety: The Perceptions and Experiences of Freshmen University Students. Advances
in Social Sciences Research Journal, 8(3) 483-495.
Foreign Language Writing Anxiety: The Perceptions and
Experiences of Freshmen University Students
Rola Lababidi
ABSTRACT
Writing is an essential skill for language production. However, many
English as Foreign language learners (EFL) face many difficulties in
writing. This study aims to shed light on the psychological aspect of
writing; more specifically writing anxiety. Consequently, the main
purpose of this exploratory mixed-method study is to explore and
investigate the sources and manifestations of foreign language writing
anxiety among Lebanese university students. The participants were
Lebanese EFL university students (N=87). Data for this study was
gathered from the use of the Second Language Writing anxiety
scale(SLWAI), Sources of Writing Anxiety Inventory(SWAI), and semi- structured Focus group interviews (FG). Focus interviews with
students were used to triangulate the derived data from the
inventories. This study provides numerical data regarding the level of
writing anxiety among students. The data from the FG interviews were
transcribed and uploaded for thematic coding and further analysis.
The results from this study shed light on the sources and manifestation
of the writing anxiety among students. It also helps to disseminate
several practical recommendations for the alleviation of writing
anxiety among students. It is assumed that the findings will address the
perceived psychological needs of Lebanese EFL learners and provide
grounds for further research.
Keywords: EFL, writing anxiety, Mixed-method research, Higher Education
INTRODUCTION
English language plays an integral role in Lebanon and has become a gatekeeper for both
educational attainment and professional advancement. Learning a second language must be an
enjoyable experience for students and should not entail or be associated with any traumatic
experiences. Based on a number of research studies, many students feel anxious in their L2
classes. These findings reveal that anxiety plays a debilitating and detrimental role in language
acquisition (MacIntyre and Gardner,1989; Aida, 1994; Horwitz, 1995; MacIntyre, 1999).
Anxiety is conceptualized as a psychological construct, generally described by psychologists as “a
state of apprehension, a vague fear that is only indirectly associated with an object”. (Scovel, 1991:
18). There are three basic classifications of anxiety: trait anxiety, state anxiety, and situation- specific anxiety. Trait anxiety is a relatively stable personality characteristic, ‘a more permanent
predisposition to be anxious’. State anxiety is transitory anxiety, which usually emerges as a
response to a specific anxiety-provoking stimulus. An example of state anxiety is test anxiety.
Situation-specific anxiety is aroused by a specific type of situation or event such as presenting in
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front of an audience, sitting for exams, or participating in class. According to MacIntyre and
Gardner (1991), an apprehensive EFL learner is “an individual who perceives the second language
as an uncomfortable experience, who withdraws from voluntary participation, who feels social
pressure not to make mistakes, and who is less willing to try uncertain or novel linguistic forms”
(p.112).
According to McLeod (1987) second language writing anxiety (SLWA) is “generally understood to
mean negative, anxious feelings that disrupt some part of the writing process” (p. 427). A similar
definition by Thompson (1980) describes writing anxiety, as “fear of the writing process that
outweighs the projected gain from the ability to write” (p. 121). Daly (1978) describes writing
apprehension as a “situation and subject-specific” whereby learners tend to elude from situations
that require writing tasks especially if these situations are “evaluative in nature”. In this respect,
some students find writing “an uncomfortable, punishing, and even fearful experience” (Teichman
& Poris, 1989: 94). In the same line, Bloom (1981) believes that writing anxiety is “highly
situation-specific, seems to be self-limiting, is relatively visible, and more importantly, appears to
be relatively easily overcome by rational instruction”. According to Raimes (1991), the task of
writing was deemed as a challenging activity for many ESL students. This could be especially true
if the L2 is conceived as systematically different from the students’ native language.
Writing anxiety can result from a variety of interrelated factors. Based on several research studies,
students who exhibit high to moderate levels of writing anxiety are more inclined to display low
motivation, submit essays that do not meet the expected standards, and are more inclined to avoid
situations where writing is required (Lee & Krashen, 2002; Cheng, 2002, 2004; Hassan 2001;
Onwugubzie, 1997; Sanders-Reio et al., 2014). In the same token, research on writing anxiety has
highlighted several sources of writing anxiety. These include time- related issues. Students often
worry about the needed time to plan, write, and revise a writing task (Al-Shimi, 2017). In addition
to time constraints, L2 learners often attribute the sources of writing anxiety to the inadequate
command of writing skills, lack of sufficient writing practice, inability to brainstorm and organize
ideas in a coherent way, and poor grammar and mechanics skills (Bachman & Palmer, 1996;
Hyland, 2003; Heaton & Pray, 1982). Furthermore, Bloom (1981) considers having a perfectionist
stance and inadequate knowledge of the given prompt as possible causes of writing anxiety.
Additional sources of writing anxiety may include lack of confidence in L2 writing (Cheng, 2002),
difficulty expressing ideas in L2 (Hyland, 2003), frequent writing assignments (Claypool, 1980), and
fear of negative comments/evaluation (Horwitz et al., 1986). In the same vein, Latif (2007) identified a
number of factors that lead to writing anxiety and low self-efficacy among Arab students. These factors
comprise lack of linguistic knowledge, negative previous experience in writing achievements, low- efficacy in English writing, instructional practices and fear of negative evaluation. Many research
studies highlight a number of learner and teacher- related strategies to reduce writing anxiety among
learners. Oxford (2001) indicates three basic types of leaning strategies: Meta- cognitive (self- knowledge about learning preference); Cognitive strategies (repetition and practice) and affective
strategies (identification of feelings and being able to recognize the circumstances that evoke them).
Pedagogical strategies entail helping the students to cope with their anxieties and to ensure that the
learning environment is stress- free (Horwitz et al., 1986).
According to (Author, X) “Language learning must be rewarding and not hemmed with nerve-racking
experiences for the learner”. Consequently, instructors should ensure that the learning environment is
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stress-free and conducive for learning. Furthermore, educators should embrace a vigilant awareness of
what classroom-related factors could lead to severe anxiety reactions among some of the second
language learners.
RESEARCH AIM
The main aim of the present study is to explore the causes and manifestations of Second Language
Writing anxiety among Lebanese EFL university students. It also attempts to shed light on some of
the coping strategies that students deem as helpful in response to an anxiety-provoking condition.
This research study is especially warranted because of the scarcity of literature that explores the
existence of this phenomenon among Lebanese university students. Thus, the underlining
rationale of this study strives to explore some of the perceived sources and manifestations of
writing anxiety among EFL university-level students and it also tries to provide possible
intervention strategies that may help in eradicating or minimizing the anxious feelings associated
with writing. In order to achieve this end, this research study strived to answer the following
research questions.
a. What are the levels of writing anxiety among Lebanese EFL university students?
b. Which type of writing anxiety is perceived as the most common among Lebanese EFL
university students?
c. What are the perceived manifestations of writing anxiety among Lebanese EFL
university students?
d. What are some of the perceived solutions to writing anxiety?
METHOD AND DESIGN
In essence, this is a mixed-method research study. By adopting a mixed-method research
approach, the study emphasized a pragmatic philosophy towards knowledge, henceforth gaining
an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon and finding plausible answers to the research
questions were considered to be more crucial than dwarfing the problem to be investigated based
on an inclination for a particular methodology _i.e. qualitatively or quantitatively (Author, 2015).
Hence, a multi-method methodology, using both quantitative and qualitative methods from
different research traditions, was used to obtain the knowledge needed for finding answers to the
research questions of this study. Some theorists, e.g., Lincoln and Guba (1985) argue that different
research paradigms cannot be combined; but pragmatists, e.g., Patton (1990), assert that it is
appropriate to use both quantitative and qualitative methods if they lead to an in-depth
understanding of the phenomenon under study. The first phase of the research was geared
towards understanding the phenomenon based on the results obtained from the ‘Second Language
Writing Anxiety’ and ‘Sources of Writing Anxiety’ inventories. The second phase of data collection
attempted to triangulate the derived data through semi-structured focus interviews(FG).
Participants
Cluster sampling methods were used to collect data about students’ perceptions and experiences
of writing anxiety. Whereas, purposeful sampling procedures were used for the FG interviews. The
participants are Lebanese Freshmen EFL university students. 87 students completed both
inventories, and (n= 30) participated in the FG interviews.
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Instruments
This study used the following data gathering tools: Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory
(SLWAI), Sources of Writing Anxiety Inventory (SWAI), and semi-structured focus group
interviews.
Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI). This inventory is comprised of 22 items
developed by Cheng (2004). The scale consists of three subscales: Cognitive anxiety (CA), Somatic
anxiety(SA), and Avoidance Anxiety(AA). This inventory is based on a 5 point Likert type design. A
cumulative score higher than 65 points indicates a high level of writing anxiety and a score below
50 points indicates a low level of writing anxiety.
Sources of Writing Anxiety (SWAI). The second inventory used in this study is an adaptation of
(Rezaei, Jafari, 2014) of the causes of writing anxiety inventory. This inventory is comprised of 12-
items which aimed at assessing the perceived Sources of Writing Anxiety (SWAI) among L2
learners. The items covered research-based conceptualization of the most redundant sources of
writing anxiety. These consist of fear of teacher’s negative evaluations, fear of graded writing
assessments, insufficient writing practice, inadequate writing techniques, lack of sufficient
knowledge on the given topic, linguistic difficulties, perfectionist attitude, frequency of graded
writing assignments, time pressure, low self-confidence in writing, parental pressure and low
motivation. (Bachman and Palmer, 1996; Bloom, 1981; Cheng, 2002; Claypool, 1980; Horwitz et
al., 1986; Hyland, 2003; Reeves’ 1997; Latif, 2007).
The time allocated for completing both inventories was roughly 20 minutes.
To ensure that the tools used in the present study have adequate reliability and validity checks, a
piloting phase was ensued. In this respect, a trial-run of the inventories involved checking the
wording of the questions for coherency, identifying vague questions, and making sure that the
data collection procedures are systematic and user friendly. Pilot testing of the inventories was
initiated by administering it to a group of 20 students. The Cronbach’s Alpha of the SLWAI, SWAI
Inventory was 0.89 and 0.79 respectively _which were within the acceptable range of reliability.
Translating the inventories was deemed necessary to ascertain students’ comprehension of the
stated items.
The translated inventories were tested for response validity by using the thinking aloud protocol.
An instructor who has proficient skills in the Arabic language along with two students who have a
good command of the English language were asked to highlight any unclear questions and to
provide general comments on the inventories.
Focus Group Interviews
Students who exhibited moderate to high levels of writing anxiety were purposely selected to
participate in the FG interviews. 30 students agreed to participate in the second phase of this
research study. A total of 2 focus group interviews were undertaken by the researcher. Each
interview comprised of 14 and 16 freshmen students.
The purpose of the FG interviews was to elicit participants’ perceptions about second language
writing anxiety through semi-structured conversations. Furthermore, the data from FG interviews
were also used to triangulate the quantitative data.
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DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS
A mixed-study design was utilized to validate the derived data through triangulation. The software
package SPSS 23 was used to analyze the data. The qualitative data was then used to support or
explain the findings derived found from the quantitative data through the use of the students’
responses. For the purpose of this investigation, SLWAI was used to determine the level and types
of writing anxiety. In this respect, the items of SLWAI were categorized based on the subscales:
Cognitive Anxiety (CA), Somatic Anxiety(SA), and Avoidance Anxiety(AA). The SWAI was used to
gain an in-depth understanding of the perceived causes of writing anxiety. The FG interviews were
administered to triangulate the data and to gain eclectic information about the students’
perceptions and experiences of writing anxiety.
Levels of Writing Anxiety-SLWAI
Descriptive statistics were used to measure the scope and severity of foreign language writing
anxiety experienced by the students. The main intent of this phase of the study was to highlight
the students who exhibited high to moderate levels of anxiety. The range of students ‘scores on
SLWAI was calculated. The calculated scores were divided into 3 different groups. Table
1. presents the scores with the corresponding level of writing anxiety among the students.
Table 1. Levels of Writing Anxiety
Scores Mean Number of students Level of Anxiety
23-49 34.6 6 Low anxiety
49-69 61.21 32 Moderate anxiety
69-94 81.34 49 High anxiety
As stated earlier, there are 22 items in the SLWAI, the possible scores on the SLWAI range from 22
to 110. In the present study, the scores of the participants ranged from 23 to 94. The mean score
was 69.149(≥ 65), which indicates a considerably high level of anxiety among Lebanese EFL
students. Cheng (2004) postulates, students who experience a high level of writing anxiety, the
mean score is generally higher than 65, but if the mean score is lower than 50, it is assumed that
the participant has a low level of writing anxiety, and if the mean score is between 50 and 65, then
a moderate level of writing anxiety is assumed.
Types of Writing Anxiety-SLWAI
To explore the different types of writing anxiety among the students, the data derived from SLWAI
was further analyzed using the three-factor model proposed by Cheng (2004). Table 2. reveals the
derived means of the different types of writing anxiety among the participant students.
Table 2. Types of Writing Anxiety
Mean Types of Writing Anxiety
23.2989 Cognitive Anxiety
20.4602 Somatic/Physical Anxiety
18.1035 Avoidance Behavior Anxiety
These findings suggest that Cognitive Anxiety (CA) is the most prominent type of writing anxiety
among Lebanese EFL students followed by Somatic/ physical, and Avoidance anxiety respectively.
These findings are congruent with the findings reported by (Jebreil.et al. 2015; Cheng 2004;
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Rahim and Hayas, 2014; and Rezaei &Jafari, 2014). But contradicts the results reported by El- Shimi (2017) which indicate that Somatic (SA) and Avoidance Anxiety (AA) were reported to be
the most common among EFL learners followed by Cognitive anxiety (CA).
Sources of Writing Anxiety-SWAI
Analysis of the students’ responses of SWAI indicates several possible sources of writing anxiety.
Table 3. Reveals the sources of writing anxiety among Lebanese EFL learners.
Table 3. Sources of Writing Anxiety
Items Percentage
Parental pressure 33%
Lack of Motivation 23%
Fear of negative evaluation 56%
Fear of Writing tests 56%
Inadequate practice 49%
Inadequate mastery of writing techniques 39%
Insufficient knowledge about the given topic 66%
Linguistic difficulties 67%
High frequency of writing assignments 45%
Low self-confidence 50%
Time constraints 59%
Perfectionist 53%
As is revealed in Table 3. linguistic difficulties were rated as the highest probable source of writing
anxiety. 67% feel that they have faced many linguistic problems related to grammar and syntax,
vocabulary and mechanics. Developing mastery of linguistic awareness is a demanding and time- consuming task for EFL learners. Poor linguistic knowledge may consequently result in low self- confidence and discourages students to write. 50% of the students experienced low self- confidence in their ability to meet or exceed the expectations and demands of their writing classes.
66% of the students feel that they do not have enough background information about the topic.
59% worry when they have to write under time constraints. 56% worry about the teachers’
evaluation. This finding may indicate that the teacher being an authoritative figure impacts the
students’ perception of their performance. 39% of the students claim that they do not have a good
command of the English language writing techniques. According to Hussien & Mohammad (2011),
EFL students encounter several language proficiency hurdles when attempting to complete a
writing task, which is attributed to the inherent differences between the English and Arabic
language. The inability to master the basic techniques of writing may lead to anxiety among some
of the students. Furthermore, 23% of the students reported that low motivation is a causal factor
behind their writing apprehension.
Focus Group Interviews –Results
The focus group interviews reveal a number of possible causes and manifestations of writing anxiety along
with some of the perceived activities and strategies that may help in the alleviation of writing anxiety
among anxious learners.
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The Origin of Writing Anxiety
The FG interviews unveiled some of the possible causes of writing anxiety as perceived by the
Lebanese EFL learners. These sources were categorized under the following broad themes:
previous learning experience, learner-related sources, pedagogical, and classroom-related factors.
Loaded Baggage Syndrome. More than half of the students (n=16) recalled their earlier negative
experience in learning the English language at school. They depicted their teachers’ instructional
delivery at school as rigid and traditional in their approach, which seems to presents a
contradictory reality to the current experience at the university.
As one student states:
“....the instructors at this university are very helpful and kind but I feel nervous in
class....”
Under the circumstances, apprehensive learners may be projecting their previous negative
experience into their current English language classroom. Hence, their insecurities, anxieties, and
fear may diminish with time if they become aware that the existing learning environment fostered
by student-centered learning and supportive teachers act as channels for a threat-free conducive
learning environment. This finding is in line with Macintyre's argument cited in Young (1999)
which highlights the emergence of the situation-specific construct of language anxiety as a result
of earlier negative experiences in language learning.
Learner - related Sources of Writing Anxiety. Learner -related possible sources of writing anxiety
incorporate several sub-themes, namely, low self- confidence, insufficient knowledge and/or lack
of interest in the given topic, linguistic difficulties, low motivation level/demotivation, and
self/other imposed pressure for perfection. More than half (n=16) of the interviewed students
claimed that their self-confidence may contribute to their anxiety and ultimately to their poor
performance in writing.
For instance, one of the students claimed: “I am not very confident in my ability to write a good essay.”
In the same vein, some of the students’ (n=9) state that they lack the linguistic means to express
their thoughts in writing. For example, some of the students expressed concerns about the
mechanism needed to transform the ideas into meaningful and coherent pieces of writing.
Examples of the students’ responses include the following:
“I have lots of ideas to write about, but I’m not sure how to express them in English.”
I always have many grammatical mistakes...... It is difficult to find the correct
vocabulary words to use when I write my essays.”
I must get high grades in my essays...if I do not I will lose my scholarship and my
parents will be angry.”
Writing is a complex and demanding process for learners (Nunan, 1989). It requires the learner to
have control over many inter-related elements. These elements include previous learning
experiences, psychological, linguistic, and cognitive factors. Acquiring natural and spontaneous
employment of these skills requires dedication, effort, and time. Therefore, students who have
high expectations, and are perfectionists in nature may become anxious especially if their
aspirations are incongruent with the grade they receive on a given graded essay.
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Classroom--related Factors.
More than two-third (n=21) of the interviewed students reported that several classroom-related
practices may lead to their feelings of anxiety in L2 writing. Chiefly among these include time
constraints, lack of adequate practice, a noisy classroom, inadequate knowledge about a given
topic, and negative evaluation.
As one of the students stated:
“Time is always a problem. We do not have enough time to write a good essay”.
More than one-third of the students claim that a noisy classroom interferes with their productivity
and in turn, increases their feeling of nervousness in the classroom.
The students' concern of a rowdy classroom can be clearly illustrated by the following student
response:
“If the class is noisy and everyone is talking, I cannot write good ideas.”
However, less than one third (n=8) of the students disagree with this claim and ascertain that
group brainstorming is very beneficial for the purpose of generating ideas especially so when the
topic is somehow unfamiliar to them.
Teachers’ negative evaluations were also cited as a possible cause of the students’ writing anxiety.
Some of the students’ claim that both oral and written feedback is occasionally deemed as
unfavorable yet obliging in nature.
Manifestations of Writing Anxiety
Some of the manifestations of writing anxiety as depicted by the students’ responses in the FG
interviews were categorized under the following broad themes: personal, physical, and avoidance
behaviors. These themes seem to be intertwined rather than being demarcated by a clear cut set of
boundaries.
Some of the cited personal-related manifestations include going completely blank, inability to
organize thoughts and generate ideas, negative self-thoughts and indifference, low motivation, and
low self-confidence. For instance, one third (n=10) of the students reported the experience of
going completely blank. As one of the students noted:
“My mind goes completely blank... if I have to write a graded essay.”
In the same line, a student reported:
“... I practice a lot before the exam, but my mind goes completely blank.”
Many of the interviewed students claimed that they face difficulties in organizing their thoughts.
Furthermore, they believe that their apprehension results in the formulations of negative self- thoughts which ultimately affect their perceived ability to complete the given task and lead to a
generalized feeling of indifference and demotivation.
A vivid example of this scenario was provided by one of the students:
“Even if I follow all the given techniques and structure to write an essay, I always end
up writing an essay that is off-topic...Practicing and preparing for my writing essay do
not make any difference, I tend to always get a low grade....”
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Physical and/or avoidance behaviors were also highlighted as possible manifestations of writing
anxiety. These symptoms include a racing heartbeat, sweating, or feeling cold and nauseous.
An example of some of these manifestations is highlighted by one of the students. She reported:
“I feel my heart beating, and become so anxious that I get mixed up and end up
writing something that is not related to the topic.”
In addition to the symptomatic manifestations of writing anxiety, some of the students indicated
that they resort to avoidance behaviors in the form of coming up with different excuses to evade
the required writing task such as skipping classes or leaving the class due to somatic complaints.
Intervention Strategies
The intervention strategies suggested by the participants focused on learners and teacher-related
activities. The participants indicated several strategies that they occasionally use to avoid and/or
cope with feelings of writing anxiety. These include using positive self-thoughts, avoidance
behavior, and seeking the help of their peers and instructors. Furthermore, most of the
participants stated that practicing the type and structure of an essay before coming to class may
help in diminishing the feelings of apprehension that are occasionally associated with writing. One
of the students indicated:
“...When I practice before coming to my writing class I feel less nervous, more
motivated, and more confident......”
Many of the interviewed students also highlighted the important role of their teachers and peers
in reducing their writing apprehension in the classroom. Some of these students stated that they
share their apprehensions with both their teachers and classmates. A couple of the students
reported the significant role that the teachers play in boosting their self-confidence and altering
their ill-feelings and negative thoughts.
The interviewed students highlight a number of teacher-related traits that could reduce L2 learners’
anxiety in the writing classroom. These include: being approachable; supportive, and empathetic.
Pedagogical practices that would help to reduce levels of anxiety were cited as collaborative group
work, more in-class practice, having one-on-one feedback sessions, less weight on mechanics and
grammar, and the allocation of extra time for the completion of the writing tasks. Many of the
participants (n=12) stated that being informed about the general theme of the writing prompt may help to
lessen the feelings of apprehensions associated with the writing task. The students interviewed also
insisted on less emphasis on graded essays and more practice (in-class and/ or on-line through the use of
writing Apps).
DISCUSSION
The findings from the students’ data identified several elements that are associated with the
causes and manifestation of writing anxiety among Lebanese university students. Furthermore, a
number of coping strategies and activities that students and teachers may use to diminish the
feeling of writing anxiety among EFL students were also highlighted.
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It can be inferred from this exploratory study that some levels of second language writing anxiety
are experienced by EFL Lebanese students in response to some aspects of foreign language
learning. These findings suggest that educational stakeholders should develop and implement an
instructional agenda that caters to the psychological needs of the students. Emphasis should be
placed on orchestrating a stress-free learning environment whereby students’ writing experience
is hemmed with a positive and rewarding stance. In the same line, Horwitz, Horwitz, and Cope
(1991) note that educators should help anxious students cope with existing anxiety-provoking
situations by fostering a low-anxiety classroom which is deemed as an imperative prerequisite for
success in language learning.
Teachers must acknowledge that anxiety plays a significant role in learning a second language
and to be able to identify and help anxious students in their classrooms surmount this form of
anxiety. The focus of teachers’ intervention must target both the learner-related factors (cognitive,
affective, and behavioral variables) and classroom-based variables (teachers’ pedagogical style:
delivery and evaluation style). In this status quo, the following conceptualization can be assumed:
writing anxiety is situation-specific anxiety that emerges due to classroom-related practices.
These variables along with learners- related factors may impact students’ academic performance
in the writing classroom. They tend to shape the manner through which students perceive the
writing classrooms. In this respect, a vicious cycle is formulated whereby personal and classrooms
related variables lead to the emergence of writing anxiety. These feelings affect the students
cognitively and ultimately shape the mechanism through which their behaviors are exhibited in the
classroom. If this cycle is not halted through proper intervention strategies, the students’ writing
anxiety may become debilitating and lead to negative academic outcomes. In this status quo,
teachers must adopt “a non-punitive, non-judgmental, and non-mixed message process approach
to teaching L2 writing” (Leki, 1999). Horwitz and colleagues (1986) argues that the teachers can
help anxious students cope with the anxiety provoking situation, and strive to make the learning
environment less stressful. Examples of these strategies include relaxation techniques, teaching
the students affective learning/ study skills and keeping a writing journal. Cheng (2002)
encourages teachers to boost the student’s self-confidence in writing by helping them face
expectations and challenges through the use of a positive and realistic lens.
This study provides significant insight and understanding of the causes and manifestation of
writing anxiety. It has also shed light on some of the perceived coping/ intervention strategies that
may help students in reducing/ overcoming the feelings of Second language writing anxiety.
Findings from this study may entail some benefits to all educational stakeholders. The presumed
implications include strategies and activities that students, instructors, and curriculum developers
may utilize in ensuring that the writing task is a pleasurable and pleasant experience.
- Encourage highly to moderately anxious students to demand individual tutoring, or join a
writing language club/ writing center - if available.
- Encourage students to be aware of their feelings, expectations and concerns and discuss
them with others (teachers, counselors, peers).
- Provide a pre-test practice/ mock ungraded essay.
- Reduce the number of graded writing tasks.
- Measure students’ second language writing anxiety.
- Provide anxious students with extra time to complete a writing task.
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- Encourage students to write ungraded entries in their writing journals.
- Use the students’ voice in choosing the topic/theme.
- Use a selective approach to correction9
In addition to the aforementioned implications, the assessment of students’ essays could
encompass the use of multiple means of evaluation— Teachers’ along with peer and self- evaluation. According to Reeves (1997), collaboration with students to develop evaluation criteria
has been recommended as a way to combat writing anxiety. Using different forms of evaluations
may give students a sense of empowerment over the assessment process.
CONCLUSION
This study has succeeded in investigating the levels of writing anxiety among Lebanese university
students. It has also shed light on the sources and manifestations of writing anxiety. Furthermore,
it was also possible to derive valuable recommendations and intervention strategies that may help
students overcome their feelings of apprehension as it relates to writing. The findings were
triangulated and are assumed reliable and valid. The study and findings of the present study are
limited to students in one institution. The finding may not be applicable to other learners of
English in other settings. The data are drawn from only one institution; therefore, it may be
difficult to generalize the results of this study to other institutions, although similarities across
institutions in Lebanon may be evident. This study calls for more research on writing anxiety using
mixed-method research design. The purpose behind this call is to either confirm or rectify the
results obtained from this study and to also add useful information to the limited literature
available on this issue in the Lebanese educational setting. It is also recommended that a similar
study should examine the phenomenon of English language writing anxiety using a longitudinal
approach to gain more insight on the best intervention practices to combat writing apprehension
among students.
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