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

Ushba Rasool; Muhammad Zammad Aslam; Rabia Mahmood; Sami Hussein Hakeem Barzani; Jiancheng Qian

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e13405

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

Heliyon. 2023 Feb 2;9(2):e13405. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e13405. eCollection 2023 Feb.

Authors

Ushba Rasool¹, Muhammad Zammad Aslam², Rabia Mahmood³, Sami Hussein Hakeem Barzani⁴, Jiancheng Qian¹

Affiliations

¹ School of Foreign Languages, Zhengzhou University, China.
² School of Multimedia Technology and Communication, Universiti Utara, Malaysia.
³ Faculty of Education, Istanbul Okan University, Tuzla Campus, Istanbul, Turkey.
⁴ English Language Teaching Department, Faculty of Education, Tishk International University, Erbil, Iraq.

Abstract

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.

Keywords: EFL; Foreign language writing; Perceptions; Pre-service teachers; Teacher professional development.