A Study on the Reduction of Students’ Anxiety about Academic Writing in an Online Writing Course

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to design an online academic writing course that combines on-demand videos, in-class activities, feedback on assignments using an LMS, and tutorials by teachers on a videoconferencing system, and to examine the reduction in students' anxiety about writing. The results of a questionnaire survey revealed that students' anxiety scores for writing were lower than before the course. Analysis of the free-response statements revealed that the students whose anxiety scores decreased were engaged in writing through online tutorials and group work, the students whose anxiety scores decreased slightly were engaged in writing through feedback from the teacher and repeated revisions of assignments via the LMS, and the students whose anxiety scores increased from almost no change to a high level were engaged in writing through feedback from the teacher and repeated revisions of assignments via the LMS. The students whose anxiety scores increased from almost no change did not reduce the anxiety they felt before the class, but they felt that they were gradually getting better at writing after half a term of classes.