Foreign Language Writing Research Articles

A Review of Studies on Foreign Language Writing Anxiety

Foreign language writing is often used in work and daily communication. At the same time, it has a great weight in many important examinations, reflecting the students comprehensive application level of foreign language. Related studies have found that students experience anxiety when writing due to lack of confidence, fear of evaluation, being influenced by local culture, procrastination, and a high level of epistemological beliefs. This will not only inhibit their cognitive activities and affect their writing performance, but also discourage their enthusiasm for learning and hinder the improvement of their writing ability. However, on the contrary, some researchers have found that writing anxiety may also stimulate students to work harder and more efficiently on writing tasks. This paper will review the related studies on writing anxiety in foreign languages, summarize its classification, effects and causes, then find ways to reduce students writing anxiety and improve the level of their writing. Finally, some incompleteness of the current research will be reflected, with a view to providing implications for future research.

A Systematic Review of ChatGPT for English as a Foreign Language Writing: Opportunities, Challenges, and Recommendations

A Systematic Review of ChatGPT for English as a Foreign Language Writing: Opportunities, Challenges, and Recommendations

Technology-Enhanced Grammar Activities in English as a Foreign Language Writing Accuracy

El objetivo del estudio fue determinar los efectos de las actividades gramaticales potenciadas por la tecnología en la precisión de la escritura en inglés como lengua extranjera en un Instituto Tecnológico Superior. Involucró participantes de entre 18 y 30 años del curso de inglés nivel A1 según el MCER en el programa de lengua extranjera de la Institución. La docente-investigadora diseñó un estudio de método mixto en el que se establecieron grupos control y experimental homogéneos e intactos para implementar un plan de intervención basado en actividades potenciadas por la tecnología. Los datos se obtuvieron mediante un pre-test y post-test, cuestionario y encuesta. Los resultados mostraron que los estudiantes del grupo experimental obtuvieron mejores resultados que los del grupo de control y también manifestaron actitudes positivas hacia las actividades mejoradas con tecnología. Estos resultados sugieren que las actividades gramaticales potenciadas por la tecnología mejoraron la precisión de la escritura en inglés como lengua extranjera de los estudiantes y afectaron positivamente a su percepción de la aplicación de la tecnología en el aula. Los resultados de este estudio tienen importantes implicaciones en el diseño de actividades con uso de tecnología, así como para los docentes de inglés como lengua extranjera.

A Survey of Foreign Language Writing Anxiety among Chinese High School Students

A Survey of Foreign Language Writing Anxiety among Chinese High School Students

A Study on ChatGPT-4 as an Innovative Approach to Enhancing English as a Foreign Language Writing Learning

The field of computer-assisted language learning has recently brought about a notable change in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) writing. Starting from October 2022, students across different academic fields have increasingly depended on ChatGPT-4 as a helpful resource for addressing particular challenges in EFL writing. This study aimed to investigate the use and acceptance of ChatGPT-4 in students’ EFL writing. To this end, an experiment was conducted with 76 undergraduate students from a private school in Algeria. The participants were randomly allocated into two groups: experimental group (n = 37) and control group (n = 39). Additionally, a questionnaire was administered. The results showed that the experimental group (EG) outperformed the control group (CG). Besides, the findings revealed that students in the EG in post-test outperformed their pre-test scores. The findings also revealed substantial improvements in the EG’s views of perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitudes, and behavioral intention. According to the results, ChatGPT-4 helped boost students' EFL writing skills, which ultimately led to their acceptance. Students appear particularly interested in ChatGPT-4 because of its potential usefulness in putting what they learn about EFL writing into practice. Some suggestions and recommendations were provided.

Effectiveness of the Task-Based Language Teaching Method in Improving Foreign Language Writing Skills

Background. Foreign language teaching has experienced a shift towards a more task-oriented approach to improving language skills. However, not much research has explored the effectiveness of the Task-Based Language Teaching method in the world of physical education, foreign language education, and elementary school teacher education. For this reason, the Task-Based Language Teaching method is used as a solution to improve the skills of students in physical education, foreign language education and elementary school teacher education. Purpose. This research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the Task-Based Language Teaching method in improving students' language skills in three different fields of study. Method. This research uses a quantitative approach with a pre-post test experimental design. Results. The results of this study indicate that there was an increase in language skills in the experimental group who received training using the Task-Based Language Teaching method compared to the control group. Physical education students showed improvements in speaking and writing skills, while foreign language education and elementary school teacher education students showed improvements in listening and speaking abilities. Conclusion. The conclusion of this research shows that the Task-Based Language Teaching method is effective in improving students' language skills in various fields of study, including physical education, foreign language education, and elementary school teacher education. Implementation of the Task-Based Language Teaching method can be an effective alternative in enriching language teaching, improving communication skills, and providing a more contextual and relevant learning experience for students.

A Thorough Investigation into Foreign Language Writing Anxiety in a Turkish EFL Context

This study sought to investigate foreign language (L2) writing anxiety of Turkish students learning English as a foreign language (EFL) by focusing on the L2 writing anxiety levels; the prevailing types, perceived causes and effects of L2 writing anxiety; and the strategies that students employed to alleviate L2 writing anxiety. The study adopted a convergent parallel mixed-methods design consisting of a quantitative survey and qualitative open-ended interviews with the students studying at English Language and Literature undergraduate program at a state university in Türkiye. A total of 138 students responded to the questionnaire and eight volunteers among them were interviewed face to face. The survey data were analysed through descriptive and inferential statistics while interview records were analysed through thematic analysis. The findings converged on the point that the students displayed high levels of L2 writing anxiety and that time constraints and assessment orientation were the prominent factors leading to anxiety. The students’ L2 writing anxiety varied significantly across perceived L2 proficiency levels, demonstrating higher-level anxiety for the students reporting themselves as less proficient L2 users. Based on the interview reports, the student-perceived causes and effects of writing anxiety as well as the factors and relieving strategies were identified. Finally, recommendations for more effective strategies for alleviating English language learners’ L2 writing anxiety were discussed.

Examining the Foreign Language Writing Experiences of Computer Engineering Students

<i>Identifying the relation between the processes of programming and foreign language writing may lead to new directions for programming language and natural language focused instructional design. The present qualitative case study supported by quantitative data investigated foreign language writing experiences of computer engineering students taking an object-oriented programming course. Forty-five sophomores learning programming and academic English simultaneously in a foundation university in Ankara, Turkey, were selected purposefully for the case study. There were two data sources (students’ opinions and documents) and three data collection tools (a semi-structured interview, a short diary, and a composition. In terms of the findings of the research, four themes were obtained; however, only the use of metacognitive strategies will be explained in detail due to the length of the study. Participants stated that they feel the positive effects of programming experience on the use of self-evaluation strategy and that there are similarities and differences between the processes of programming and foreign language writing. Participants’ views on the effect of programming on foreign language writing did not differ according to their writing and programming performance scores. Participants stated that programming experience may have an effect on the use of metacognitive language learning strategies in the writing process. Upon analyzing participants’ comments, it is understood that programming experience does not hinder the use of metacognitive strategies but has a role in supporting and reinforcing their use. It is suggested that multiple case studies be done for similar views on the effects of programming and that each finding be proven by quantitative studies. </i>

A Corpus-Based Study of Metaphor of Modalization in English Academic Writing

Metaphor of modality in the Hallidayan linguistic framework is manifested through a transition from implicit modal expressions to explicit modal expressions, encompassing metaphor of modalization and metaphor of modulation. This article conducts a corpus-based investigation to examine the prevalence of metaphors of modalization in English academic writing. The study, which relies on data from the British National Corpus (BNC), reveals that modal expressions are more frequently used in less technical texts (i.e., in spoken texts rather than in written texts with regard to mode, in fiction texts rather than in academic texts with regard to genre, and in hard science texts rather than in soft science texts with regard to discipline). Furthermore, explicit subjective and explicit objective modal expressions exhibit opposite distribution patterns across modes, genres, and academic disciplines. Based on this general distribution pattern, this study then examines three distinct groups of PhD dissertations. It becomes evident that Chinese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) writers employ significantly fewer subjective projecting clauses compared to proficient native English writers in their academic writing. This difference arises from the rigorous training Chinese EFL learners receive, emphasizing the avoidance of authorial identity in academic writing. This study hereby concludes that while English academic writing may be becoming less formal, author involvement should not be encouraged in relatively more technical academic texts.

A Quantitative Study on Undergraduate Students’ Deeper Learning in Peer-Feedback and Self-Feedback Tasks in an English as a Foreign Language Writing Course

Deeper learning competencies, such as critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and self-management, are receiving increasing attention in education. In writing instruction, feedback-providing tasks have the potential for promoting deeper learning. This study develops and applies a self-report scale to explore the level of deeper learning among undergraduate students in China in providing peer feedback and self-feedback in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) writing course. The scale includes three dimensions: involvement, use of deeper learning strategies, and deeper learning outcomes. The research found a generally moderate level of deeper learning in various feedback-giving tasks. Significant and positive correlations were found between the three dimensions of deeper learning as well as between deeper learning, anticipation toward feedback-giving tasks and overall course evaluation. At the same time, it was found that students may be more active in deeper learning from the perspectives of their use of deeper learning strategies and the perceived learning outcomes than from the perspectives of participation in discussion as well as time and effort spent on the tasks.

Investigating students’ cognitive processes in generative AI-assisted digital multimodal composing and traditional writing

Recently, generative artificial intelligence (AI)-powered chatbots such as ChatGPT and Bing Chat have garnered increasing attention on a global scale. Previous studies have focused mostly on the influence of generative AI on writing while few researchers have investigated how generative AI can facilitate students' multimodal writing process. To fill in this gap, we explored the generative AI-assisted composing processes of two groups of English as a foreign language (EFL) writers over two weeks in this qualitative study. One group completed a multimodal PowerPoint (PPT) project, and the other group completed a traditional argumentative essay project. Our data consist of students’ screen recordings with think-aloud protocols, final multimodal texts, and post-project interviews. Our analysis showed different patterns in text production across the two groups. Students in the PPT group tended to construct more bridge texts and examples to corroborate their sub-claims in the hierarchical order. They also inclined to borrow the summarized search results from the Bing Chat to expand texts for their PPT slides. With regard to image generation for PPT slides, descriptions of AI images from ChatGPT were used as effective prompts to generate AI images from Bing Image Creator. Moreover, students were interested in producing and refining AI images following the recommended prompts by Bing Chat. They also evaluated these AI images from different perspectives. We conclude the study with a discussion on the pedagogical implications and suggestions for further study.

Iranian EFL Students’ Perceptions of Foreign Language Writing Anxiety and Perfectionism in Essay Writing

<em>Mastering writing skills is an essential criterion for EFL students who desire to fully invest in their academic discipline. While it is crucial to develop numerous writing abilities to communicate effectively, the research shows that the affective variables, such as self-esteem, perfectionism, stress, anxiety, and burnout, exert a profound negative influence both on the process and product of writing. To explore the devastating effects of these constructs beyond, the study aims to investigate the interactive impact of anxiety and perfectionism on essay writing among Iranian EFL students (n=85). The Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory of Cheng (2004) and the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale of Hewitt and Flett (1990) were employed to measure the participants’ perceived writing anxiety and perfectionism. A quantitative research method was employed in the collection and analysis of the data. The results showed a medium level of FL writing anxiety and perfectionism among the participants. They also revealed that the most prevalent types of anxiety and perfectionism among them were cognitive and self-oriented, respectively. Finally, the results disclosed a strong positive relationship between their anxiety and perfectionistic tendencies. Thus, it was concluded that anxiety and perfectionism may interactively challenge EFL students more in their writing activities. The results are beneficial in deepening the understanding of teachers and researchers in the field pedagogically and practically.</em>

Writing Anxiety in Chinese Non-English Major EFL Undergraduates: Causes and Consequences

This research paper studies the writing anxiety in Chinese non-English major EFL (English as a Foreign Language) undergraduates in terms of causes and consequences. 200 non-English major learners at different universities with age ranging from 18 to 24 finished the questionnaires including Foreign Language Writing Anxiety Scale (FLWAS) with 26 items and 50 of the participants in Sichuan International Studies University were chosen randomly to accept the interviews and took a test that measured writing in English. The results presented that: 1) FLWAS had 4 leading factorsFLWAS1 Dislike of Writing English, FLWAS2 Low Confidence in English Writing, FLWAS3 Writing Evaluation Apprehension and FLWAS4 Fear of Negative Comments; 2) a great number of factors leaded to English writing anxiety; 3) among the samples the general profile of English Writing Anxiety was revealed; 4) Writing anxiety had both beneficial and detrimental effects on how students learned to write in English;5) English writing anxiety demonstrated negative correlation with English writing performance.

Decolonizing Technologies through Emergent Translanguaging Literature from the Margin: An English as a Foreign Language Writing Teacher’s Poetic Autoethnography

Many scholars have portrayed technological advances as conducive to English language teaching and learning, without questioning their possible colonial assumptions about languages and literacies. Drawing on critical pedagogy and Global South epistemologies, I reconceptualize decolonization as a humanizing project in the contact zones between English and non-English languages. This poetic autoethnography, informed by my memories of my own experience as an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learner in China, alongside a wide range of artifacts from a senior seminar course in an international college in a Thai private university, illustrates how educational technologies can be decolonized by producing (and publishing) emergent translanguaging literature that repositions teachers and students from marginalized backgrounds as co-creators of new knowledge about languages and literacies in the global context.

Leveraging L2 academic writing: Digital translanguaging in higher education

Although the literature on computer-assisted language learning has demonstrated that digital tools such as online translators offer affordances to second or foreign language writers of English to solve lexical and syntactic issues, the extent to which digital technology supports multilingual students in producing academic texts has been underexplored. In this study we investigate what digital technology enables and does not enable students to do in communicating meaning by examining the writing experiences of two multilingual students. The data were derived through screen sharing and online stimulated recall interviews and analyzed using the concept of digital translanguaging, which focuses on meaning making using students’ entire meaning making repertoire. The findings suggest digital translanguaging afforded students to self-resolve their linguistic issues to varying degrees. However, it also became evident that these affordances hit a wall at a certain point beyond which no further progress could be made, constraining their ability to communicate intended ideas in L2. We conclude by providing insights into instructional and strategic support to effectively support multilingual students to offer greater opportunities to achieve their communication goals and create equitable higher education spaces.

The Relationship Between Chinese EFL Learners’ Foreign Language Writing Enjoyment and Writing Vocabulary Strategy

As an important aspect of second language learning, vocabulary has traditionally been the focus of foreign language writing instruction. However, since the introduction of positive psychology into the field of second language acquisition, research on learners’ writing vocabulary strategies from this perspective has not been abundant. The purpose of the present study is to explore the relationship between high school students’ foreign language writing enjoyment and writing vocabulary strategy. The results show that there is a significant positive relationship between senior high school students’ foreign language writing enjoyment and their writing vocabulary strategy, and that two factors: teacher appreciation and personal enjoyment have significant predictive effects on their writing vocabulary strategy. This suggests that positive emotions of both teachers and learners themselves can help to improve learners’ vocabulary application.

Contributions of foreign language writing emotions to writing achievement

Emotions have received scant attention in L2 writing research except anxiety, leaving their role largely unclear. This study was designed mainly to examine the contributions of anxiety, enjoyment, and boredom to writing achievement. We also aimed to develop and validate instruments to measure foreign language writing enjoyment and boredom. Two sub-studies were conducted among three groups of junior secondary EFL learners in China (N1 = 310; N2 = 326; N3 = 1036). In Study 1, the Foreign Language Writing Enjoyment and BoredomScales were developed based on the responses from Group 1 to open-ended questions. Both scales were administered to Groups 2 and 3. Group 3 also filled in the questionnaires for criterion variables (i.e., second language writing anxiety, foreign language anxiety, enjoyment, boredom, and burnout). Reliability and validity tests confirmed the sound psychometric properties of the two scales (e.g., internal consistency, construct/convergent/discriminant/criterion validity, and measurement invariance). In Study 2, we further obtained data on the English writing achievement of Group 3 operationalized as scores in two writing proficiency tests and an end-term exam, and self-ratings for writing proficiency. Regression analyses show that boredom had the strongest negative effects on writing achievement, followed by the positive effects of enjoyment and the insignificant effects of anxiety.

Brain-bound vs. extended: Contrasting approaches to second-language research writing in digital environments

This article responds to calls to better understand the digital literacy practices of second and foreign-language writers. Researchers followed two Arab undergraduates as they completed a research writing task in a first-year writing course, tracing how these students used common digital resources, particularly digital 1) research tools, 2) writing tools and 3) course materials. Via screen-capture and regular interview sessions the participants’ research and writing activity was observed over a period of five weeks. To understand the resulting data, Vygotskian notions of mediation were combined with writing as extended mind, a recently introduced theoretical program that emphasizes the distributed nature of cognition. Study participants were found to deploy a wide range of digital resources, often in complex and creative ways. We identify two distinct mediation profiles that we argue mark two distinct approaches to research writing: a relatively brain-bound approach, which uses external resources primarily to structure internal cognitive function, and a more extended approach, which offloads a higher degree of cognitive function to the writer’s environment. These findings offer unique insight into the digital literacy practices of an understudied student population. They also raise important questions about how best to teach writing in a digital age.

Exploring English Writing Anxiety in Chinese High School Students

This paper explores the English writing anxiety among Chinese high school students' about causes and suggestions. Data were collected from 134 Chinese high school students who answered the Foreign Language Writing Anxiety Scale (FLWAS) questionnaire. The FLWAS adopted a 5-point Likert response format. After statistical analysis, main findings were: (1) FLWAS has three main factors including low self-confidence in English writing (FLWAS1), aversion to English writing (FLWAS2) and English writing evaluation anxiety (FLWAS3). (2) Participants in this study were mostly unconfident in English writing and had no preference nor aversion to writing in English and were concerned about the quality of their compositions; (3) No significantly difference was shown between male and female students. This research filles a gap for English writing anxiety in Chinese high schools and can lay a foundation for further studies in this field.

A Contrastive Interlanguage Analysis of Lexical Bundles in English as a Foreign Language Writing: L1 Chinese, Japanese, and Korean

Correct and register-appropriate use of frequently recurrent word sequences (e.g., lexical bundles) plays an important role in proficient linguistic output. However, second language (L2) writers’ use of these multiword items is still insufficiently understood, particularly in relation to the influence of first language (L1) background. This exploratory study analyzed a learner corpus of 420 argumentative essays to determine how lexical bundles were used by L2 English academic writers from 3 L1 backgrounds (Chinese, Korean, Japanese) to identify intra-group tendencies and intergroup production differences. A contrastive interlanguage approach identified unique tendencies related to functional categories and individual lexical bundles for each L1 group. Findings include relative overuse of text-oriented bundles by L1 Chinese writers, overuse of participant-oriented bundles by L1 Japanese writers, and a general tendency to underuse of lexical bundle types and tokens by L1 Korean writers of L2 English. Methodological and pedagogical implications of these findings are discussed. Lexical bundles(単語連鎖)のように高頻度で使用される語の連続を、適切に、正しいレジスターで用いることは、熟練した言語の産出に不可欠である。しかし、第二言語学習者によるその使用の実態は、特に母語の影響との関連では十分に理解されていない。本研究では、420の学術的文章からなるコーパスの分析を通して、母語背景(中国語、韓国語、日本語)をもつ英語の第二言語学習者によるlexical bundlesの使用を調べ、母語集団内の傾向や集団間でのその産出の違いを明らかにする。対照中間言語分析によって、談話機能や個別のlexical bundlesに関して、各母語集団独自の傾向があることがわかった。研究の成果として、中国語母語の書き手がテキスト志向のbundlesを、日本語母語の書き手が参与者志向のbundlesを、それぞれ比較的多用する傾向があることや、一般に韓国語母語の書き手にはlexical bundlesのタイプやトークンの使用頻度が低い傾向がみられることを示す。これらの方法論的・教授法的含意についても論じる。