Pain and Pleasure in Short Essay Writing: Factors Predicting University Students' Writing Anxiety and Writing Self‐Efficacy

Abstract

Since the inception of the Writing Across the Curriculum movement more than 30 years ago, scholars have explored ways of enhancing students' writing performance. Faculty members across disciplines are often challenged by students' resistance to writing; resistance that may stem from anxiety, poor academic performance, and lack of recognition that writing is important in their lives. To examine predictors of students' writing anxiety and writing self‐efficacy, 127 college students completed a pre‐ and post‐assessment survey. Findings indicated that GPA and gender significantly affected writing anxiety, and leisure writing and writing anxiety were significant predictors of writing self‐efficacy. Suggestions for future research and possible interventions for alleviating students' writing anxiety and enhancing their writing self‐efficacy and performance are provided.

Graduate students as academic writers: writing anxiety, self-efficacy and emotional intelligence

“…Though, to our knowledge, no other studies have empirically explored the relationship between self-efficacy and writing anxiety with a sample of graduate students, the findings are in line with empirical findings noting negative relationships between writing anxiety and selfefficacy among students at the undergraduate level and below (Klassen, 2002;Martinez, Kock, & Cass, 2011;Matoti & Shumba, 2011;Pajares, 2007). In addition, the study supports researchers arguing the importance of fostering university students' self-efficacy in order to lower writing anxiety and increase writing development (e.g., Mascle, 2013).…”

“…Empirical evidence supports the relationship between writing anxiety and self-efficacy among school-aged children, adolescents and university students (Klassen, 2002;Martinez, Kock, & Cass, 2011;Matoti & Shumba, 2011;Pajares, 2007). For example, in a study with a sample of 127 university students in the United States, students reporting lower writing anxiety had higher self-efficacy than students who reported higher writing anxiety (Martinez, Kock, & Cass, 2011).…”

“…For example, in a study with a sample of 127 university students in the United States, students reporting lower writing anxiety had higher self-efficacy than students who reported higher writing anxiety (Martinez, Kock, & Cass, 2011). Not surprisingly, in a research synthesis on university business writing, Mascle Graduate Students as Academic Writers 6 6 (2013) argued the importance of fostering self-efficacy in order to lower students' writing anxiety and increase their writing development.…”

“…For example, in a study with a sample of 127 university students in the United States, students reporting lower writing anxiety had higher self-efficacy than students who reported higher writing anxiety (Martinez, Kock, & Cass, 2011). Not surprisingly, in a research synthesis on university business writing, Mascle…”

“…In studies with undergraduate students taking writing-intensive classes, students with higher writing anxiety produced writing with lower quality and performed poorer on writing skills tests than students with lower writing anxiety (Daly, 1977;Daly, 1978;Daly & Miller, 1975). More recently, writing anxiety has been found to have a negative relationship on university students' grades (Martinez, Kock, & Cass, 2011). …”