Unresolved issues in defining and assessing writing motivational constructs: A review of conceptualization and measurement perspectives

Abstract

Abstract Motivational variables significantly influence learners’ writing experiences and performance. Diagnosing learners’ affective perceptions and beliefs using accurate measures is a prerequisite for identifying the optimal ways for motivating them to write. Though writing motivation has been researched for more than four decades, some issues in defining and assessing its constructs are yet to be resolved. This paper critically reviews the developments in conceptualizing and measuring writing motivational constructs. While the review indicates a consistency in the definitions and scales of writers’ outcome expectancy and achievement goals, there are some problematic issues in those of the other constructs. Specifically, the conceptual and terminological overlap and scale construct validity problems are noted in writing apprehension, attitude and anxiety research. Meanwhile, a wide variance occurs in the conceptualizations and measures of writing self-efficacy. Four other constructs (writing self-concept, implicit theories of writing, and incremental and entity theories of writing intelligence) appear to be identical, on the one hand, and close to writing self-efficacy on the other one. The paper ends with discussing some issues that need to be considered in future writing motivation research.