Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Asian EFL Journal, cilt.8, ss.100-118, 2006 (Scopus)
There has been considerable research which documents the prevalence of writing anxiety in student populations in L1 and L2 settings, and explores the effects of teachers’ writing anxiety on their teaching practices in L1 settings. The present study discusses the relevant issue from the perspective of prospective teachers. 85 Turkish prospective teachers (PTs) of English participated in this study. Data were collected by means of the Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI) (Cheng, 2004) and an open-ended questionnaire. Results of the SLWAI showed that more than half of the participating PTs had high or average writing anxiety. PTs’ responses to the open-ended questionnaire indicated that those with high and average anxiety had difficulties in organizing their thoughts and producing ideas while writing in L2. In addition, PTs cited university instructors and their past L2 writing experiences as the major factors affecting their attitudes towards L2 writing, and discussed the psychological and physiological reactions they had during the writing process. Finally, the responses of the PTs revealed that their writing experiences may affect their future teaching practices.