A Correlational Study between Anxiety and Writing Performance: A Gender Study

Oroji, Mohammad Reza; Bijani, Houman; Moharrami Gheydari, Saeid; Rajabi, Rouhollah; Sheikhi, Mahsa

A Correlational Study between Anxiety and Writing Performance: A Gender Study

نویسندگان

Mohammad Reza Oroji ¹

Houman Bijani ¹

Saeid Moharrami Gheydari ¹

Rouhollah Rajabi ²

Mahsa Sheikhi ¹

¹ Zanjan Azad University

² Department of English, Zanjan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Zanjan, Iran

چکیده

This study was an attempt to investigate the relationship between test anxiety and writing performance among Iranian intermediate EFL students. To achieve this goal, 50 participants of EFL students (male and female) at Iran, Tehran, were selected on the basis of sampling convenience. The instruments used in this research consisted of the proficiency test and TAQ (Test Anxiety) questionnaire. After homogenizing the students via a proficiency test (Cambridge Placement Test, 2010), those students who were selected as upper-intermediate ones were allowed to take part in this research. Their age range was between 20 and 40. Having collected the results, the researchers recorded the scores in computer files for statistical analysis using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.00. In order to measure the relationship between the variables (test anxiety & written performance) Pearson Correlation tests were run. The results illustrated that there were significant relationships between writing performance and text anxiety and all its sub-scales of worry and emotionality. In addition, it was proved that there was not any significant difference between male and female in respect to writing performance. It must be reiterated that a Pearson Correlation test was also run to measure the Inter-Rater Reliability. The results of this study will provide insights to help EFL learners reduce their test anxiety and increase the level of their confidence.

کلیدواژه‌ها

anxiety

Emotionality

worry

Writing Performance