Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory Research Articles

Second Language Writing Anxiety among Faculty Scholars of a State University in the Philippines and Its Sex-Disaggregated Data

The study investigated the causes and the nature of writing anxiety specifically in the use of English as the second official language of the Philippines. Further, it accounted and analyzed its sex-disaggregated data. This was done among faculty scholars of Central Luzon State University. The respondents were randomly chosen from among the purposively identified faculty scholars of the university pursuing their graduate degrees - master’s and doctorate, in the different graduate curricular offerings in various universities in the Philippines and abroad, that require a thesis or dissertation as the final requirement for obtaining a graduate degree. The Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI) of Cheng (2004), a questionnaire composed of 22 items with three open-ended questions was used to collect responses. The responses were scored and measured on a five-point Likert response scale. The differences in Second Language Writing Anxiety (SLWA) between male and female participants were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney Test, which is ideal for analyzing statistically the difference between the distributions of data of unparalleled groups with the comparison of ranks and scores. Based on the study findings, the most prominent nature of SLWA among participants is cognitive anxiety. Other sources of anxiety include the availability of external and internal resources and environmental elements. In relation to sex, males scored higher in terms of the level of anxiety compared to females. Lastly, it is forwarded that educators and the pedagogical approach may utilize a positive feedback mechanism as negative evaluation promotes anxiety even in composing in a second language.

EFL University Student’s Writing Anxiety in Essay Development

<p class="8Abstractcontent"><span lang="EN-US">Among the numerous research of writing anxiety in EFL writing instruction, the investigation of writing anxiety during the creation of argumentative essay remains limited. This current research, therefore, was purposed to examine the levels and specific manifestations of writing anxiety for the development of argumentative essay. Guided by descriptive quantitative research framework, 53 university students in writing course were asked to fill out the Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI) in a small-scale survey. The results shows that 78% of students experienced moderate levels of anxiety when engaged in the development of argumentative essays, with only a small percentage reporting high or low level of anxiety (11%). An analysis of the anxiety levels across all respondents revealed a prevailing trend of moderate anxiety. Moreover, cognitive anxiety was the predominant category, followed by somatic anxiety and avoidance behavior respectively.</span></p>

Writing anxiety among prospective nonlanguage teachers: A quantitative study of a nonmetropolitan state university

This research focuses on exploring the aftermath and diverse impacts of writing anxiety experienced by prospective nonlanguage teachers. The study primarily delves into the levels and types of writing anxiety that disrupt the academic performance and personal pursuits of future educators. The participants in this study encompassed 165 students pursuing majors unrelated to language, such as Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in Mathematics (BSED Math), Bachelor of Culture and Arts Education (BCAED), and Bachelor of Special Needs Education (BSNED). To ensure accurate data collection, the study employed assessment tools, namely, the Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI) and the Causes of Writing Anxiety Inventory (CWAI), both exhibiting high-reliability scores of .757 and .936, respectively. Employing one-way ANOVA, the collected data were subjected to statistical analysis. The findings of the study indicated that the participants consistently experienced heightened anxiety levels in writing. The investigation also revealed that among the various types of writing-related anxiety, cognitive anxiety emerged as the most prominent, followed by somatic anxiety and avoidance behavior. Furthermore, the study identified time constraints and the pressure to achieve perfection as the two most prevalent causes of writing anxiety among the participants. The conclusions drawn from these findings are extensively discussed within the study, shedding light on the implications for both educators and students in a nonmetropolitan state university.

Cultural considerations for the second language writing anxiety inventory: Saudi Arabian female university students

IntroductionThis study examines the applicability of the Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI) to a population of 857 native Arabic-speaking Saudi Arabian female university students learning English as a foreign language (EFL).MethodsParticipants were divided into two groups. The first of these consisted of 430 students who participated in the testing portion of the study. The second group consisted of 427 students who participated in the replication portion of this study. The instrument used was the Second Language Writing Anxiety Index (SLWAI). Exploratory factor analysis was first conducted on the testing group to determine which items of this instrument applied to this population. A second factor analysis was then used to confirm the results found with the testing group.ResultsSLWAI is typically used to assess the degree of EFL writing anxiety across three dimensions: somatic anxiety, avoidance behavior, and cognitive anxiety. However, factor analysis of the data collected from both groups revealed that these dimensions are not entirely pertinent to the population studied. The three dimensions that emerged are somatic anxiety and two distinct aspects of cognitive anxiety: proficiency anxiety and appraisal anxiety. No evidence of avoidance behavior was found.DiscussionThese results suggest that the dimensions measured by the SLWAI may not be universal across differing sociocultural populations. This highlights the importance of assessing anxiety in individual populations with consideration to the unique circumstances in which they learn to write in English as a foreign language. By determining unique aspects of writing anxiety in differing populations, EFL instructors may be better able to identify and then target the needs of their students as they work through the process of developing English-language writing skills.

An Investigation of EFL College Students’ L2 Academic Writing Anxiety

In order to explore L2 writers’ psychological aspects, this project investigated the academic writing anxiety experienced by Korean college students majoring in English. Accordingly, the present study made use of both quantitative and qualitative data. Cheng’s (2004) Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI) was administered to 150 participants to identify their levels, patterns, and possible sources of L2 writing anxiety, along with their scores on the TOEFL writing task and the qualitative data from the open-ended questionnaire. The quantitative findings indicated that participants experienced a moderate level of L2 academic writing anxiety, which negatively correlated with their L2 writing performance in terms of both quality and quantity. The qualitative findings revealed four major themes that caused L2 academic writing anxiety: linguistic knowledge, writing skills for content development, evaluation, and task environment. The pedagogical implications for EFL writers were discussed.

The Effects of L2 Chinese Learners’ Perceived Writing Anxiety on Their L1 Use within L2 Writing Performance among English Major Students in a Chinese University

Learning to write fluently and expressively in English is widely proved to be one of the most difficult skills for Chinese EFL learners to master due to their L2 writing processes are impeded by various obstacles, among which L2 writing anxiety and their L1 use are two indispensable factors that should be accounted. Hence, the purpose of this study was to explore the relations among L2 learners’ perceived writing anxiety and the use of L1 Chinese learners within their L2 writing performance of English major students. 226 L1-Chinese sophomores of English major students enrolled in Department of Applied English at a university in China participated. A mixed methodology of (Quantitative +qualitative) approaches was employed to collect data through SLWAI (Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory), think-aloud protocol and semi-structured interview so as to elicit the dynamic thinking process of L2 Chinese learners’ perceived writing anxiety and their L1 use within L2 writing performance on an English argumentative writing task. The findings revealed that L2 Chinese learners’ perceived writing anxiety was positively correlated with their L1 use amount but negatively correlated with L2 writing performance. However, in terms of a minor part of the participants, L2 Chinese learners’ perceived writing anxiety and their L1 use amount were positively correlated with L2 writing performance. Implications are that the study not only investigated the relations among L2 English major students’ perceived writing anxiety and their L1 use within L2 writing performance, but shed lights on the pedagogical field of L2 writing by proposing some effective measures to improve students’ L2 writing performance based on their different anxiety sources.

Examining the Effectiveness of Teaching Strategies for Alleviating EFL Students’ Writing Anxiety: A Mixed-Method Study

At higher education, students at the end of the study are required to write a final project. Writing English papers is challenging and might create writing anxiety. Therefore, it is necessary to look at what strategies are used by the teachers and their effect on anxiety levels and performance. Furthermore, it is also crucial to accommodate students’ perceptions of the strategies so that students’ voices provide valid information on how the classroom should be. This research uses a mixed-method methodology to analyze lecturers' anxiety-reduction strategies and students' perceptions of them. Three instruments were used to collect data, namely a Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI), open-ended questions about the perception, and students’ writing scores. A paired sample t-test was used to compare students' writing anxiety and performance before and after treatment. Content analysis was used to assess student opinions of the strategies. The statistics showed that students' writing anxiety fell from high (71.35) to moderate (66.47). Meanwhile, students' writing grade rises from 72.00 to 79.03. SPSS analysis showed that anxiety-reducing strategies significantly affect writing anxiety and student performance (p = 0.000). Consequently, this study's findings should be beneficial in writing classes.

Students’ Anxiety in Learning English Writing Skills in Senior High School Level

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that contribute to students' English writing anxiety in the Science 11 class at UPT SMAN 11 Luwu. Students' levels and causes of writing anxiety in English are described (cognitive anxiety, somatic anxiety, and avoidance behavior). Descriptive statistics were used for this investigation. Simple random sampling was used to select a sample of 68 students from the population of eleventh-grade students in a science class. The Causes of Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (CSLWAI) by Rezaei and Jafari was used to describe the main factors that contribute to students' writing anxiety, and the Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI) by Cheng was used to analyze students' anxiety levels. SPSS version 22 and Microsoft Excel 2019 were used to find the mean and percentage of the data, respectively. Students who reported high levels of writing anxiety were statistically typical (M=73.06>65). Inadequate writing technique, linguistic difficulties, a lack of practice, and time constraints are also major contributors to students' writing anxieties.

An Analysis of the Level of Students’ Anxiety on Their Writing Skills

Since English has been a foreign language in Indonesia, many achievements are needed in teaching and learning in school. English as subject material in school has four basic language skills, they are reading, writing, speaking, and listening. In learning English as a foreign language, anxiety is a common issue that hinders the student's learning process, including writing skills. The anxiety experienced by students in writing is called writing anxiety. The aim of this qualitative case study is to find out the level of writing anxiety experienced by students in classX-6 at SMAN 1 Prambon and find out teacher's strategies to help students overcome their writing anxiety. The data were collected through the Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI) questionnaire by Cheng (2004) and interviews were conducted with students of class X-6 and English teachers. The results show that there is a high level of writing anxiety in class X-6 students, with factors such as low self-confidence, lack of topical knowledge, language difficulties, pressure of perfect work, and pressure of limited time. Meanwhile, the teacher has several strategies to help students overcome their writing anxiety, such as memorizing vocabulary sessions at every meeting, giving random questions to help students develop their ideas, providing writing exercises with layouts and pictures to practice their writing skills, giving motivation in every assessment, doing icebreaking and playing games

The Effect of Indonesian EFL Senior High School Students’ Anxiety on Their Writing Achievement in Explanation Text

Abstract. Writing is considered to be one of the most challenging skills to learn. Accordingly, some issues appeared and may be faced by the students while writing. One of the writing issues that can be a serious problem is writing anxiety. Hence, in this study, the researcher tried to find out the eleven graders students' writing anxiety levels and investigate the significant difference of writing anxiety on students' writing achievement in an explanation text writing. This study used quantitative approach with ex-post facto research design. The researcher conducted this study at one of the public senior high schools in Gresik. There were 30 eleven graders taken as subjects from one class. Then, to gather the data, two instruments were used. First were the Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI) close-ended questionnaires. Second was students' writing scores in an explanation text writing. To analyze the data, the researcher used both descriptive statistics and inferential statistics (ANOVA). The results found that the eleven grades’ students had a moderate level of writing anxiety. And the somatic anxiety was dominant had by them. Another result revealed that there is no significant difference in each type of writing anxiety on the students' writing achievement in explanation text. And only cognitive anxiety had a moderate size effect on the student's scores. So, based on this study, the writing anxiety did not influence whether the students succeed in their explanation text writing. Keywords: Writing Anxiety, Writing Achievement, Explanation Text

Students' anxiety in learning English writing in higher education

Research studies on students' writing anxiety have been done in many EFL teaching contexts. However, there are still very limited scientific articles published about university students' foreign language writing anxiety and the causes in the Indonesian university context. Therefore, this study's main purpose was to analyze students' anxiety in EFL writing and its causes. This study employed a descriptive quantitative method. The study subjects were chosen from the first-year students of the Accounting Study Program of Muhammadiyah University of Palopo academic year 2021-2022, which consists of three classes. Two types of questionnaires were used for collecting the data. The first questionnaire was based on Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI) developed by Cheng (2014). The questionnaire consisted of 21 items designed to assess students' English writing anxiety. The second questionnaire, the Second Language Writing Fear Inventory (CSLWFI), derived from Rezaei and Jafari's (2014), which was adopted to find out the causes of a feeling of anxiety in writing, consisted of ten questions. SPSS ver. 20 was used to analyze the gathered data. The findings revealed that the student's English writing anxiety was significant, and the key causes were poor understanding of writing concepts, linguistic obstacles, insufficient writing skill practice, and time restrictions.

Higher Students' Anxiety Level and Factor in Writing Essays through Google Docs


 
 
 This study aimed to investigate the level and factors of anxiety experienced by higher students while writing essays through Google Docs. It used a quantitative data collection method collected through questionnaires adapted from the Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI) by Cheng and ESL Writing Anxiety by Zhang using Five-Point Likert Scale. There were 10 participants in this study selected by using convenience sampling. The results showed an average anxiety score of 63, indicating moderate anxiety levels. The study identified that a lack of sufficient writing practice was students' primary cause of anxiety. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the factors contributing to students' anxiety levels while writing essays through Google Docs. It can inform educators' strategies to support students in their writing assignments.
 
 

INVESTIGATING ENGLISH LANGUAGE READING AND WRITING ANXIETY AMONG PAKISTANI UNIVERSITY STUDENTS: A CORRELATIONAL STUDY

The undertaken study investigated the correlation between English language reading anxiety and English language writing anxiety. A survey research design was employed, and a sample of 298 BBA students from a private university in Karachi was utilized. The students completed two anxiety-measuring questionnaires: The Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale (FLRAS) and the Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI). Descriptive statistics revealed that the majority of students experienced moderate to high levels of English language reading and writing anxiety. Pearson Product-Moment correlation analysis indicated a strong positive correlation between English language reading anxiety and writing anxiety. This means that students with high levels of reading anxiety were likely to also experience high levels of writing anxiety and vice versa. These findings suggest that teachers should not teach reading or writing in isolation. Instead, they should focus on reducing anxiety levels in reading and writing classrooms. Curriculum developers should also consider incorporating strategies for reducing anxiety into their programs.

Exploring Writing Test Anxiety Among EFL University Students in the Saudi Context

The purpose of this research study was threefold: (1) to investigate the levels of EFL writing anxiety, (2) identify the types of EFL writing anxiety, and (3) to find out the main causes of EFL writing anxiety. Quantitative and qualitative research methods were employed. The participants consisted of 200 students enrolled in different disciplines at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Both Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI) and Causes of Writing Anxiety Inventory (CWAI) were used to collect data. The findings revealed that the majority of students (60%) experienced a high level of writing anxiety, whereas 8% of students exhibited a low level of it. In addition, cognitive anxiety was found to be the most dominant type of anxiety, while avoidance behavior was at the other end of the bar. Furthermore, causes of EFL writing anxiety among Saudi university students were in the following order: linguistic difficulties, time pressure, insufficient writing technique, insufficient writing practice, fear of teacher’s negative comments, fear of writing tests, and low self-confidence in writing.

English as a foreign language writing anxiety and its relationship with self-esteem and mobile phone addiction among Chinese medical students-A structural equation model analysis.

Medical students in China and other non-English speaking countries are susceptible to English as a Foreign Language (EFL) writing anxiety. English writing is not only a vital component tested for admission to postgraduate and doctoral programs, but it is also critical for the publication of academic papers. Although there is mounting evidence indicating relationships between anxiety, self-esteem and mobile phone addiction, pathways between these three constructs within a structural equation model have not yet been examined. Furthermore, there has been a dearth of studies exploring EFL writing anxiety, from which medical students in China as well as other non-English speaking countries are prone to suffer. The study was to assess EFL writing anxiety among Chinese medical students and to examine the relationships between EFL writing anxiety, self-esteem, and mobile phone addiction, with an aim to offer empirical evidence for effective preventive or intervention measures to alleviate EFL writing anxiety. Cross-sectional data were obtained from 1,238 medical students in China, with the administration of a self-administered questionnaire comprising the Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI), the Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale (RSES) and the Mobile Phone Addiction Tendency Scale (MPATS). The results indicated that both self-esteem and mobile phone addiction exerted significant direct effects on EFL writing anxiety. Self-esteem also had a significant indirect effect on EFL writing anxiety via the mediating role of mobile phone addiction. The path coefficients of self-esteem on EFL writing anxiety were significantly reduced when mobile phone addiction was modeled as a mediator. Efforts to alleviate EFL writing anxiety among medical students may benefit from enhancing self-esteem and establishing a healthy relationship with mobile phones.

ESL Writing Anxiety and its Effects on Writing Performance of College Students in an Academically Disadvantaged Context of Pakistan: A Case Study

This study investigated the levels of ESL writing anxiety and its effects on the writing performance of 161 (85 male and 76 female) college students of Balochistan with a non-probability sampling. For data collection, the Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI) of Cheng (2004) was used in addition to an essay writing task completed by the participants. The SLWAI results indicated that overall ESLWA was significantly high (M= 2.99, SD = .67). Somatic anxiety (SA) was the most prevailing one (M=3.39, SD = .90). The second most significant type was cognitive anxiety (CA) (M=3.11, SD = .82), whereas, the avoidance behaviour (AB) was the third in level (M= 2.45, SD =.87). The statistical analysis of writing tasks revealed an adverse association between the WA and WP of the college students of Balochistan.

Pre-service EFL teacher's perceptions of foreign language writing anxiety and some associated factors

Researchers have been striving to investigate the causes and consequences associated with writing anxiety experienced by students of foreign languages. This study aimed to investigate the level and nature of writing anxiety experienced by learners of foreign languages, considering gender as a variable. The study's second goal was to uncover the learners' perspectives on writing anxiety and the factors that contribute to it. The convenience sample method was used to choose seventy-six students to participate in the English language teacher training course. Second Language Writing Anxiety Reasons Inventory (SLWARI) and Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI) (Cheng, 2004; Kara, 2013) [1,2] were used in order to determine the levels and types of anxiety that are associated with learners' foreign language writing. Both inventories were used to determine what causes learners' foreign language writing. In order to gain a comprehensive understanding of how students perceive the level of anxiety they feel when writing, a semi-structured interview was conducted with each participant. The data showed that there was no difference when taking into account learners' gender concerning their anxiety levels and kinds. The vast majority of individuals reported feeling a significant amount of anxiety. The subjects exhibited cognitive anxiety symptoms, although there were no indications of gender effect. The responses to the interview questions highlighted a deficiency in both writing practice and linguistic expertise as critical contributors to anxious sentiments.

An investigation of foreign language writing anxiety and its reasons among pre-service EFL teachers in Pakistan.

Psychologically complicated by nature, anxiety refers to feelings of worry, fear, or apprehension. Several research studies have been devoted to exploring anxiety's effects on language skills, including writing. Since foreign language anxiety directly influences a learner's motivation and determination to learn that language, it is imperative to study the findings and reasons behind these anxious feelings. One-third of foreign language learners have been experiencing at least a moderate level of anxiety. Researchers have attempted to investigate the causes of anxiety among foreign language pre-service teachers. The present study objectifies two goals to determine the extent of writing anxiety, followed by reasons and references to the role of gender. Seventy-two pre-service teachers of the English language training department from the University of Education, Multan, Pakistan, were selected for the study using convenience sampling. Second language writing anxiety inventory (SLWAI) and second language writing anxiety reasons inventory (SLWARI) were used to collect data, and semi-structured interviews were taken with students. The findings presented no difference in anxiety levels between genders, whereas cognitive anxiety type was distinctive in results. Most of the participants experienced high and medium levels of anxiety.

Exploring Anxiety and Self-Efficacy in Writing

This paper investigates the level and type of writing anxiety among Turkish EFL students along with the causes of the anxiety perceived by them and their instructors. The EFL writing self-efficacy level of the students was examined, and with the findings obtained, the relationship between writing anxiety and writing self-efficacy in EFL classes was investigated. To meet these objectives, 176 (A2, intermediate level) Turkish EFL students and 6 instructors enrolled in a language preparatory program offered by a state university in Istanbul, Turkey participated in the study. The data were gathered both quantitative and qualitatively through the Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI), Self-efficacy in Writing Scale (SWS), Causes of Writing Anxiety Inventory (CWAI), and semi-structured interviews. The results revealed that the students had either a high or moderate level of writing anxiety in English, and they mostly suffered from cognitive anxiety. Their level of writing self-efficacy was also moderate, and there was a negative correlation between self-efficacy and writing anxiety among the participants. The results of this study suggest implications about coping with anxiety and self-efficacy in writing classes at language preparatory programs.

Psychophysiological factors as predictors of second language writing achievement in a computer-based test.

Sleep quality, personality, and cognitive load potentially increase second language writing (SLW) anxiety and subsequently affect SLW achievement. This study investigates the predictions of sleep quality, personality (social inhibition/ negative affectivity), and cognitive load (content/ computer) toward SLW anxiety and achievement in a computer-based test. Participants included 172 voluntary undergraduates majoring in English as foreign language. SLW anxiety in a computer-based test, sleep disturbance, personality and cognitive load was assessed with the SLW Anxiety Inventory, Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index, Type-D Personality, and cognitive load questionnaires. A structural equation modeling approach was applied to examine the interdependence among the observed variables. An adequate-fit SLW anxiety model was built (X2 = 6.37, df = 6, p = 0.383, NFI = 0.97, CFI = 1.00, RMSEA = 0.02; R-squared multiple correlations: SLW anxiety in a computer-based test = 0.19, computer-based SLW achievement = 0.07). The structural model showed that sleep disturbance (+0.17), social inhibition personality (+0.31), and computer-induced cognitive load (+0.16) were significant predictors of SLW anxiety in a computer-based test. Subsequently, SLW anxiety in a computer-based test (-0.16) and computer-induced cognitive load (-0.16) were significant negative predictors of computer-based SLW achievement.