Writing Apprehension among Ethiopian Secondary School Students: A Correlational Study of Apprehension Factors

Getaw Girma
Staff

Abstract

The aim of this research was to explore the association of writing apprehension factors among Ethiopian secondary school students. A quantitative correlational study design was used. The study involves 163 grade 10 learners. Data were gathered using an adapted version of Cheng’s (2004) Second Language Writing Apprehension Inventory (SLWAI) customized to Ethiopian high school setting. Five factors of writing apprehensions such as General Writing Apprehension, Time Pressure, Fear of Evaluation, Low Self-Confidence, and Lack of Motivation were measured. Descriptive results revealed that a majority of respondents (80-94%) went through high levels apprehension across cognitive, emotional and linguistic dimensions of writing particularly in timed and evaluative writing situations. However, amount of writing assignment showed no significant influence on writing anxiety. Interest and motivation related results point to limited engagement in writing outside the classroom. Inferential analyses also revealed statistically significant differences among respondents. Similarly, Pearson correlation analysis showed strong positive relationship among all apprehension dimensions (r=807-879). This suggests that writing apprehension maneuvers as an inter-related concept. These results propose that future enquiry should consider writing apprehension as an interconnected construct and apply longitudinal and mixed research methodologies to examine its evolving and contextual nature among EFL students.

Keywords: Apprehension Dimensions; Academic Writing; Correlational Analysis; Secondary School Learners; Writing Apprehension