A significant number of studies have been carried out to investigate different aspects of writing apprehension. However, up to now, there has been little research on English as a second language writing apprehension in the context of Vietnam. The current research was conducted to fill the gap. The paper dealt with the subject quantitatively and qualitatively in an attempt to find out whether firstyear fasttrack students in Faculty of English Language Teacher Education, University of Languages and International Studies are experiencing writing apprehension or not. Then the main causes of writing apprehension among firstyear fasttrack students were examined. The possible remedies for such a phenomenon were also suggested. To identify the current situation of writing apprehension among firstyear fasttracks students, the researcher adopted Gungle and Taylor’s version of Writing Apprehension Test (WAT) to determine the levels of writing anxiety among students. For the purpose of identifying the main sources of writing apprehension among firstyear fasttrack students, along with the semistructured interviews, the researcher used the adapted version of the Second Language Writing Anxiety Reason Scale (SLWARS) by Selma (2013). Both forms of the questionnaires were distributed to 42 firstyear fasttrack students in FELTE. The study adopted the analytical descriptive method to analyze the responses to the questionnaires. To find out possible solutions to help students reduce writing apprehension, two teachers who are teaching the students English writing were invited to participate in the interviews. The findings of the study reveal that the majority of firstyear fasttrack students in FELTE, ULIS are experiencing writing apprehension. Besides, the main causes of writing apprehension among those students include lack of vocabulary, lack of topical knowledge and test anxiety. The study also proposes certain suggestions in teaching and learning to help students alleviate their apprehension in writing. Teachers should promote the use of vocabulary quizzes, peerediting, unfamiliar writing topics, inclass timed practice, and mock tests. In parallel, students should find an effective way of learning and reviewing new words such as using flashcards, read widely and prepare careful and early for the test. With these findings, the paper would serve as a good reference for both teachers and students to have a closer look at this issue, then take actions to help firstyear fasttrack students reduce writing apprehension.
[...]... help students cope with writing apprehension 1.3 Research questions In short, the objective of the study is to answer the three following questions: 1 From the perspective of students, are first year fast- track students in FELTE, ULIS, VNU suffering from writing apprehension? 2 From the perspective of students, what are the main causes of writing apprehension among first- year fast track students in FELTE,. .. solutions in teaching and learning to help reduce writing apprehension among those first- year fast- track students The answers to the three research questions take turns to be illustrated in this chapter 4.1 Writing apprehension levels among first- year fast- track students in FELTE, ULIS -VNU The total score that each respondent gets on the Writing Apprehension Test will determine the level of writing apprehension. .. analysis In this chapter, all the data collected from two instruments (questionnaire and interview) will be revealed and discussed in detail in order to answer the research questions In the first section of this chapter, the writing apprehension levels among first- year fast- track students in ULIS, VNU is revealed The second part is about the main causes of writing apprehension among first- year fast- track students. .. questioning, of students or teachers to provide insights on the investigated subjects Interviews with selected students: The interview aims at getting in- depth information about the causes of writing apprehension among first year- fast track students, and to see if levels of writing apprehension affect the sources of writing apprehension in students or not The information collected from these interviews... FELTE, ULIS, VNU? 3 From the perspective of teachers, what are possible solutions in teaching and learning to help reduce writing apprehension among first- year fast- track students in FELTE, ULIS, VNU? 1.4 Significance of the Study Once finished, the study could serve as a reference for ESL teachers, especially those in FELTE, VNU to be aware of the writing apprehension levels, the causes of writing apprehension. .. apprehension, the main causes of writing apprehension among first- year fast- track students in FELTE, ULIS, VNU Besides, the study proposes possible solutions in both teaching and learning to cope with students apprehension in writing The research would be carried out in two firstyear fast- track classes with a major in English Language Teacher Education in FELTE, ULIS, VNU The aggregate number of participants is... research is to investigate writing apprehension among first- year fast- track students in FELTE, ULIS, VNU, 42 students are selected as the research participants to take part in responding to questionnaires Studying the same syllabus for writing class, those students are from two different classes in the fast- track program They are members of class E1 and E2 majoring in English Language Teaching The students. .. anxiety the students are dealing with Figure I displays the distribution of writing apprehension levels among targeted students based on their apprehension level Figure 1: Writing apprehension levels among first- year fast- track students in FELTE, ULIS -VNU Results from the data for Writing Apprehension Test show that all students suffer from some level of writing apprehension The majority of the students. .. perspective of students, what are the main causes of writing apprehension among first- year fast- track students in FELTE, ULIS, VNU? Interview with teachers: The interview aims at eliciting possible solutions to writing apprehension from the perspective of teachers The guided questions for the interviews are designed based on the results from the questionnaires to collect in- depth inputs from targeted interviewees... anxiety scale to investigate writing apprehension among students This instrument enabled the researchers to come up with the finding that a lack of out of school and in- class practice session increase writing apprehension among students Furthermore, lack of effective feedback from teachers may lead students to feel apprehensive of writing Feedbacks on students writings are crucial in ESL instruction because . findings 43 4.4.1. Levels of writing apprehension among first-year fast-tracks students in FELTE, ULI, VNU 43 4.4.2. Causes of writing apprehension among first-year fast-track students in FELTE,. Dominant causes of writing apprehension among first-year fast-track students in FELTE, ULIS, VNU by levels of writing apprehension List of figure Figure 1: Writing apprehension levels among first-year. tables Table 1 - Writing apprehension levels among first-year fast-track students in FELTE, ULIS, VNU Table 2 - Causes of writing apprehension among first-year fast-track students in FELTE, ULIS Table