To identify and help alleviate the apprehensions of returning adult students at the University of Illinois at Chicago, 42 subjects were given the Miller and Daly Writing Apprehension Test (WAT) before and after a composition course, their grades were recorded, and their teachers completed questionnaires regarding student attitudes and performance.…

Outlines a multistep writing program in which English as a second language students participate in the writing process and relate to their fellow writers (classmates and teachers) in various ways, using journals, learning logs, and essays. The extent to which activities increase writing proficiency and reduce students' writing apprehension is…

This annotated bibliography describes research on the characteristics of apprehensive writers and on methodology which has been found useful in reducing anxiety and increasing writing achievement. Following an introduction, 27 annotations (dating from 1976 to 1990) are presented. A summary, conclusions, and recommendations follow. A 33-item…

Focusing on the relationships between performance, skills, and attitudes, a study conducted at the University of Arizona measured the effects of reading and writing apprehension on basic writers. Results from three survey measures and expository paragraphs and essays written by 59 college freshmen enrolled in a basic writing course provided the…

When students have difficulty writing, it is often because they are apathetic or afraid of failing, rather than because of a serious lack of skill. Basic writing teachers must break through student apathy and fear before the students can begin to progress. One way is to ask basic writers to unscramble sentences or analyze ambiguous sentences to…

Noting that the problem of writer's block is often rooted in such cognitive difficulties as rigid or inappropriate composing rules and planning strategies, this study approaches writer's block as a measurable problem that can be analyzed and remedied. The introductory chapter defines writer's block and pertinent terms, discusses a cognitive model…

A study was conducted to determine whether a relationship existed between developmental English students' perceptions of the usefulness of writing in their lives and their performance in composition classrooms. Students enrolled in the developmental English course and the companion writing center course completed a writing attitude questionnaire.…

Describes how a group of third graders had an opportunity to write fairy tales using process writing techniques to assist them in overcoming their anxiety and dislike for writing. Indicates that writing strategies introduced through focused mini-lessons and feedback that valued children's writing choices were critical for the positive influences…

Finds significant relationships between computer anxiety and computer/word processing, between computer anxiety and computer electronic discussion group, and between computer anxiety and online computer service among 130 students from a variety of undergraduate rhetoric classes at a large midwestern university. Finds also significant differences…

This study presents and tests a hypothesized structural model that attempts to explain the relationship of writing in English as a foreign language by Taiwanese university students to a variety of factors. Investigated were factors considered to be inhibiting (writing apprehension and writer's block), factors considered to be facilitative (free…

Useful for writing teachers at all levels, this monograph explores the nature of writing apprehension and presents nonthreatening teaching and evaluation methods. The first section of the booklet examines theory and research on writing anxiety and its effects, along with some teaching behaviors likely to aggravate the problem. The second section…

The articles in this journal issue examine the characteristics of student writing apprehension, and teaching methods to alleviate it. The titles of the articles and their authors are as follows: (1) "Writing Anxiety: Reasons and Reduction Techniques" (Helen R. Heaton and Pauline M. Pray); (2) "Writing Anxiety and the Gifted Student…

This study explored the relationships among communication technologies, communication apprehension, writing apprehension, and computer anxiety. Participants were 130 students from a variety of undergraduate oral communication classes in a large midwestern university who completed a modified form, 10 items, of McCroskey's Personal Report of…

A study was conducted to examine the communication reticence of high school students enrolled in required speech and writing courses. Approximately 200 students completed the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA), the Unwillingness-to-Communicate Scale (UCS), and the Writing Apprehension Test (WAT). Data were then analyzed to…

Appraises and provides validity evidence on the reliability of secondary students' scores on attitudes toward writing as measured by the Daly and Miller Writing Apprehension Scale (WAS) and the Attitudes toward Writing with the Computer Scale (ATWCS). Concludes that students' attitudes toward writing and toward writing with the computer can be…