Determining Change in Students' Writing Apprehension Scores in a Writing Intensive Course: A Pre-Test, Post-Test Design

Abstract

Writing skills are one of the most important skills college graduates need to possess; however, college graduates struggle to complete written communications proficiently in the workforce. Previous researchers have explained that college instructors must understand the students' fears with writing in order to create effective writing curriculum. Writing apprehension has been described as one of the main factors hindering students' motivation to write and confidence to complete writing responsibilities. In the college setting, negative views toward writing cause low motivation to enroll in writing courses or take the course seriously; ultimately, writing apprehension causes students to not make writing a priority. Using the theoretical framework of self-efficacy, this paper sought to explore how a writing intensive course changed a student's confidence or belief in their writing skills, and in turn, how the intensive writing course improved their writing apprehension. A two-phase, convergent parallel design mixed methods study was used to determine what change, if any, occurred during the writing intensive course. The findings showed writing apprehension, or avoidance-like attitudes, may be diminished in undergraduate students throughout the duration of a writing intensive course. Recommendations for practitioners and future research are also provided.

Exploring How Pedagogical Strategies Change Student Perceptions of Writing Apprehension

“…The sample was comprised of 92 students enrolled in the Spring 2015 semester as these students are assumed to be representative of all students who take this course. This population was selected because students enrolled in previous semesters had expressed fear and avoidance-like attitudes to completing written assignments (Fischer & Meyers, 2017), and this sample was chosen as the researcher had access to students in several majors with varying levels of writing apprehension. Student majors were animal science, crop and soil science, horticulture or turf grass science, agricultural education, and agricultural and applied economics.…”

“…The premise of social cognitive theory reflects how someone's behavior, or motivation toward an action, was shaped by their beliefs in their capabilities (Bandura, 1986;Pajares & Johnson, 1994). Writing apprehension has also been used to judge a person's competence as he thinks about or performs a writing task and to identify a person's general self-esteem level when performing a writing task (Daly & Wilson, 1983;Fischer & Meyers, 2017). Further, Pajares and Johnson (1994) found writing apprehension had a strong relationship with self-efficacy.…”

“…Prior research has suggested students' writing apprehension level can be influenced by increasing self-efficacy (Fischer & Meyers, 2017;Martinez, Kock, & Cass, 2011;Matoti & Shumba, 2011;Pajares, 2003). Further, teaching strategies and the role of the instructor have been proven to affect students' ability to be effective writers (Leggette, 2015).…”

“…Further, Pajares and Johnson (1994) found writing apprehension had a strong relationship with self-efficacy. Because self-efficacy is used to describe an individual's beliefs about their capabilities, the more a student fears or has apprehension toward writing, the more likely the student will not have confidence in his or her capabilities as a writer (Fischer & Meyers, 2017;Pajares & Johnson, 1994;Trojan et al, 2016).…”

“…Similar to other skills, learning to write properly requires repeated practice for a long duration of time (Trojan et al, 2016;Kellogg & Raulerson, 2007;Leggette et al, 2013). Courses involving a writing intensive component allow students to complete multiple assignments and the opportunity to improve their writing skills (Fischer & Meyers, 2017;Trojan et al, 2016). Within these courses, students may immerse themselves in a writing-rich environment (Leggette & Homeyer, 2015).…”