Over the past many years, students have been reported to experience writing anxiety at different levels of their writings. As a result of ever-increasing cases of writing anxiety among students, psychologists have developed a keen interest in researching in this area. Studies have shown that writing anxiety could produce negative effects among learners, lower their self-esteem and bar them from achieving successful writing. Teachers have been under difficult task to understand what makes learners undergo writing anxiety and come up with means of helping these students. As many factors emerge from time to time, the educators are expected to understand these factors and develop appropriate mechanisms that can help solve the situation. As an issue that has been in place for over decades, a new demand for research in this sector have been necessitated, and many scholars are currently researching in this field ( Rezaei, Jafari & Younas, 2014 ).
Definition and Meaning of Writing Anxiety
Writing anxiety is the negative feeling that the students have while attempting to write words or ideas thus hindering them from doing successful writing. It can make students lose their self-esteem and writing skills which can, in turn, lower their abilities to be creative writers. Other scholars have also referred to writing anxiety as the general feeling of negative attitude, emotional agitation or blocking that students experience when faced with a writing situation. Such feelings can result in the student being unsuccessful in their writing, sometimes failing to finish the writing or even if they finish, the writing is not up to the required expectations. According to Younas et al. (2014), writing anxiety can occur in three levels which include high, moderate and low levels. This situation has also been found to be able to affect students at all levels of studies, including even those who have graduated from the universities. People experiencing anxiety become frightened and unable to concentrate in class. The panic and emotional instability make them lose concentration while writing leading to loss of the focus of the paper.
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Causes of Writing Anxiety
Another of factors has been associated with writing anxiety among students. These factors make students unable to write their papers appropriately thus affecting their overall writing abilities. The issue of time restriction is one of the major factors that has been mentioned to cause writing anxiety amongst students. When students have a paper to write, be it examination or a research paper in which they have a time limitation for finishing the paper, they are more likely to develop writing anxiety. When the student develops a feeling that the time given for the paper is not sufficient for him or her to finish that particular paper, a feeling of fear and emotional agitation may arise. This is usually due to the tension that the student may have for feeling that the time for the paper is limited. As a result of the negative feeling and emotional agitation, the student can lose focus of the writing, get into tension and fail to do apprehensive writing as expected of him/her. Many studies have shown that having tough deadlines is a key contributing factor for the writing anxiety among students. Tough deadlines cause tension, pressure, and panic amongst the students making them have emotional agitation thus making them unable to concentrate on their writing.
Another factor that can cause writing anxiety is the issue of teacher’s evaluation which includes the students looking for what evaluations and negative comments the teachers will make on their work. The fear that the teacher may make negative comments on the work of the students can put them at anxiety while writing. This is a situation where the students will be writing with fear that what they are writing might be wrong and may attract negative comments from the teacher. Such anxiety mainly arises when a student has a previous experience of having received negative comments from the teacher thus feeling discouraged. The kinds of comments that teachers make on the work of the students can, therefore, have a significant impact on the way a student writes. Previous negative comments from the teacher may make the student develop a fear of evaluation by the teacher while writing and this may make the student unable to write apprehensively. According to Kara (2015), negative critical comments and fear of evaluation can make students develop negative feelings towards writing a paper, a situation which can expose them to develop emotional anxiety and subsequent inability to write successfully. Writing for a tough audience such as a professor who is very critical of the work of the student can also cause writing anxiety for the students. When the professor is very critical of the students’ work, the students tend to develop fear which as a result can hinder them from doing comprehensive writing.
Many studies have also shown that lack of linguistic knowledge such as grammar and vocabulary my put students at writing anxiety. This is especially common with the students who are not native English speakers but are rather learning English as a second language. Writing a paper in a language that one does not have full knowledge on can be terrifying. Comprehensive writing requires an understanding and greater possession as well as command of the language and vocabulary that is used in writing the paper. Without that knowledge of linguistics, the student will struggle to do any comprehensive writing and will undoubtedly develop anxiety in the process. This may make the student write a low standard paper or even fail to finish writing. Lack of linguistics may make a writer lose self-confidence, morale, and self-esteem which are necessary for writing a comprehensive paper. Lack of these three features will put the student into emotional agitation and will feel negative about the paper. Studies have shown that majority of the students who suffer from anxiety due to lack of linguistic knowledge are the immigrant students in America who are studying English as a second language. This makes such students struggle to do comprehensive writing.
Adaptation of the new writing style has also demonstrated the possibility of causing anxiety amongst students. When students are for the first time using a new writing style that they have never used before, they may develop fear and anxiety. This is especially when the students are not so familiar with the new format and thus not very sure of what to do. A new writing technique with which the students are not familiar with can make them unable to write successfully. Studies have shown that students who are faced with new styles of writing such as research papers or dissertation for which they are not so familiar can make them develop fear and tension which can result to writing anxiety. This can result in unsuccessful writing or even in some cases the student may fail to finish the paper.
Inability to understand the assignment and problem with the choice of the topic have also been mentioned by many scholars as a cause of writing anxiety among students. When the student has an assigned task with which they don’t understand, they may not be in a position to write it appropriately. Effective writing requires an understanding and interpretation of the question before one can start writing. Comprehensive writing depends on one’s understanding of the question and what is required. Without gaining an understanding of the question, one may not even be in a position to start writing. As a result, the students will develop writing anxiety and a negative feeling towards the paper thus hindering them from writing appropriately. Similarly, effective writing requires one to choose a topic with which they understand and are familiar with so that they can develop effective writing. However, most students face difficulty in choosing an appropriate topic with which they are familiar. The majority choose topics that they don’t understand and as a result get stack in the process of writing after they develop a negative attitude towards the paper. In such cases, students end up not finishing the paper or doing poor quality work.
According to Bayat (2014 ), effective writing amongst students require adequate practice and consistency. Without practicing adequately, one may not be in a position to write well. However, many students have been found to develop writing anxiety because of insufficient training and practice. When a student has not practiced well in his writing skills, chances of developing anxiety are high. As the students write, they may reach a point in the process at which they cannot continue because of lack of practice. At this point, they develop a negative attitude towards the paper which then subjects them to emotional agitation, rendering them unable to write the paper accordingly. Comprehensive writing requires self-confidence and self-esteem. All these can only be achieved through sufficient practice before taking a serious writing test. However, these can never be confidence in students if they did not practice well before taking their papers and the result will obviously be anxiety which will then hinder them from doing any successful writing.
Solutions to Writing Anxiety
Writing anxiety can be a very challenging issue to manage. The feeling of panic, tightening of the gut and nerves. One gets stuck in the first paragraph, times even in the first sentence when the mind starts whispering whether to scrap off the whole thing or not. Various strategies have however been proposed to help learners overcome writing anxiety. The first strategy is to practice writing under strict deadlines. Time limitation and strict deadlines have been mentioned among the factors that can cause writing anxiety. When a student can practice writings under strict deadlines, they can get familiar and improve their speed ( Gino, Brooks & Schweitzer, 2012 ). This can be done by setting fake practice deadlines where the student set himself some time limitation and try to write while aiming to meet that deadline. This will enhance speed and confidence in the student so that any time he is faced with a paper that requires strict deadline, the student will not panic or develop emotional agitation. This can be a better strategy for the learners to improve their writing.
Doing a lot of writing practice can also help students improve their writing skills and scrap off writing anxiety. As it is the norm, practice makes perfect. When learners do a lot of practice before taking their main writing projects, they will equip themselves with all the necessary skills and knowledge required to handle effective writing. This will eliminate any panic that comes as a result of failing to practice. Practice can help build confidence in the learner so that when they face their main paper, they have high self-esteem and morale that can push them towards better writing. Practice can be done by taking writing exercises on a timely basis. This can tackle all areas including research papers and dissertation. A lot of practice will help build the confidence such that when the student is faced with a paper, chances of writing anxiety will be reduced.
Constant consultation with the lecturer can also help the student understand areas where there is an issue ( Alrabai, 2014 ). Writing does not have to be a solitary act, asking for help can best help one improve their confidence levels which will then be useful in removing writing anxiety. The lecturer can help in understanding the assignment or when is stuck in an idea that makes him/her develop anxiety. An objective opinion from the lecturer can be useful in steering up the student in the right direction. The student can also discuss with the fellow students in areas where an idea is confusing. A combination of more heads can be useful in developing the confidence in the students and eliminating the panic and anxiety that comes with writing.
Keeping a positive mind is also useful in helping one eliminate writing anxiety ( Alrabai, 2014 ). If probably one hates writing, removing anxiety can be very difficult without changing the attitude. Writing is an attitude and mind. When you like writing and have a positive attitude towards it, then you will definitely enjoy it. When one hates writing, he/she will always have writing anxiety and negative attitude towards writing. Developing a positive attitude will be the first step in realizing once potential in writing and eliminating anxiety which can hinder one from achieving successful writing.
Cognitive Method Approach
Cognitive method approach refers to the mental activity including thinking, remembering, learning and using language ( Meichenbaum, 2017 ). In learning, the approach focuses on the understanding of the concepts, break down information and make logical connections to understand the materials. Cognitive approaches are useful in helping the students learn. It involves using mind or cognition to solve a problem or complete a task. While the writing was initially viewed as a separate process, studies have shown that there is a connection between reading and writing and identifying them as processes of meaning construction. To help students improve their confidence in reading and writing, it is appropriate that the teachers should provide systematic and explicit instructions that can help the students develop conditional knowledge of specific strategies.
Cognitive-behavioral approaches can be used to change the thoughts and emotions. It is effective when the students have a negative attitude towards writing, and this can be used to change their attitude. Teachers can use the cognitive, emotional pedagogy which involves teaching and learning based on the cognitive psychology and construction of learning theory. This method focuses on the construction and retaining of new concepts and skills that are most effective in learning through distinct emotional experience. Teachers can use activities which allow students to make connections between the readings and writing and the cognitive processes that underlie them. These activities allow the skills and processes to play off and provide students with new ways to understand the new concepts.
A focus on the cognitive-behavioral approach notes that it is not the writing itself that causes distress to the students, but it is the negative and distorted thoughts that do so ( Richards & Rodgers, 2014 ). The aim of the teacher is, therefore, to identify that particular behavior and change it so that the students can develop a positive attitude towards writing. Many ways can lead to distortion of one's thoughts which can include overgeneralization, black or white thinking and catastrophizing. Overgeneralization is concerned with the view that the last time in my assignment the professor gave me a bad grade, and therefore I will again give me a bad grade. Such a thought may distort one’s emotional stability and lead to writing anxiety. The teacher must, therefore, remove this reasoning in students and make them think positively. Catastrophizing deals with the idea that I am not smart in this class, I failed the other time, and I will fail again. This makes the student have a negative attitude towards writing that particular subject thus leading to anxiety.
Writing Pedagogy
Expressive pedagogy should emphasize on the writer’s personal development with a keen focus on voice, style, and expression ( Stevens, 2013 ). Personal narratives are often used to teach students by applying an expressivity approach. This can make students develop confidence and help in their overall writing development. Rhetorical Pedagogy, on the other hand, focuses less on the writer and is more centered on what is written. It deals with the study of effective language use in writing, arguments and the rules that govern particular writings. This is usually used by the teachers to guide the students on how to achieve quality writing. Critical pedagogy brings the writer to examine the social structures and the institutions that may limit the individuals’ writing freedom. It develops analysis and evaluation of the writing approaches while at the same time emphasizing social justice.
Writing processes
Process writing is an approach that is used by educators to encourage students to write and communicate their messages while at the same time developing literary skills in the writing process. Teachers can use these techniques to help the students improve their writing abilities as well as changing their attitude towards writing. It starts with prewriting which involves coming up with ideas of what to write ( Richards & Rodgers, 2014 ). The teachers take students through brainstorming and research. After getting the idea, the students are taken through writing draft where they make drafts of the ideas they want to write. Upon making drafts, the students are encouraged to critically revise their work so that they can delete, rearrange, rethink and rewrite certain areas that had an error. After this, they proofread their whole work and make necessary editing before presenting the final copy.
Studies have shown that teachers can use cognitive teaching strategies in class to help students improve their writing skills and eliminate writing anxiety ( Perkins, 2016 ). Teachers can help the learners make sense of the information through data recognition, memorization, conservation, classification and metaphorical thinking. This will assist learners to improve their critical thinking through the construction of meaning out of data and information. The teachers can assist learners in this by making them have a practical lesson so that the students can construct meaning by relating to real life situation. Other than practicality, educators can also make the information they teach appear believable to learners so that they can relate it to real-life situations.
Conclusion
Writing can be a very hectic process for students especially when they are just starting up. It can cause anxiety and panic to students who might get confused as early as the first paragraph and hinder them from continuing with the rest of the writing. Anxiety affects everyone at least at some stage in their writing, and unless one decides to manage the situation, it can affect one’s effective writing. Elements such as insufficient practice and fear of evaluation from the lecturer can lead to anxiety while writing. Appropriate strategies such as having enough training, practicing with set deadlines, and consultations with the lecturer as well as developing a positive attitude towards writing can be useful in helping learners come out of writing anxiety. Similarly, cognitive teaching techniques can be used by teachers to help learners develop critical thinking and construct meanings from the information as they write. This will help them come out of writing anxiety and improve their writing skills.
References
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