An Investigation On Foreign Language Writing Anxiety And Its Effect On Writing Achievement Of Senior High School

Previous studies have shown that language learning anxiety has an impact on learning achievement at all levels in foreign language learning.In the foreign language class and tests,increased levels of anxiety can have a variety of negative effects on learners' learning and writing,while the learners' negative effects caused by anxiety can be controlled at a certain degree through their deploying efficient suggestions.The present study focuses on writing anxiety and its effect on foreign language learning.To achieve this aim,this study uses an English Writing Anxiety Questionnaire and an English writing test,and an interview.The thesis aims is to explain three questions below:(1)What is the general degree of writing anxiety among Chinese senior high school's students?(2)What is the relationship between writing anxiety and writing competence and are there any differences on the degree of English writing anxiety between the high-level students' writing competence and the low-level students' writing competence?(3)What reasons caused English writing anxiety?The total subjects of this study are 201 students chosen from two senior high schools.The writing anxiety questionnaire was based on Cheng's(2004)Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory and Guo Yan & Qin Xiaoqing's(2010)questionnaire.The questionnaire is divided into three parts: Somatic anxiety,Cognitive anxiety and Avoidance behavior.It consists of 22 items,all of which are answered on a five-point Likert scale.According to the scores of writing test,the subjects were divided into high-level and low-level groups.The findings of this study are presented in the following:(1)Owing to the general degree of English writing anxiety for senior high school students is 2.9715,we can confirm that the general degree of English writing anxiety for senior high school student is in moderate degree.The degree of avoidance behavior is the highest;somatic anxiety is the lowest on the three dimensions.(2)The correlation between the English writing anxiety and the English writing anxiety is negative.It indicates that students who express more foreign writing anxieties are prone to receive lower exam grades than their less anxious peers.Thehigher the English writing anxiety is,the lower the English writing achievement is.There exists significant difference in the general degree of cognitive anxiety,avoidance behavior and somatic anxiety between the high-level students and the low-level level students.(3)According to the analysis of the interview,we can know that the main reasons led to students' English writing anxiety is misconceptions on English writing,lack of English writing knowledge and skills as well as fear of negative evaluation.Finally,according to the results,the related suggestions are proposed to reduce students' English writing anxiety such as broaden their horizons,improve their writing skills,provide more practical opportunities and so on.