ABSTRACT

Azzahra, Fatimah. 2024. Writing Anxiety Level of ELESP Students at Universitas Lambung Mangkurat. Sarjana's Thesis, English Language Education Study Program, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Lambung Mangkurat University, Banjarmasin. The first advisor: Dr. Jumariati, M.Pd. The second advisor: Elvina Arapah, M.Pd.

Keywords: English Writing Anxiety, Somatic Anxiety, Avoidance Behavior, Cognitive Anxiety.

This study investigated the levels of writing anxiety among students in the English Language Education Study Program (ELESP) at FKIP Universitas Lambung Mangkurat. Writing anxiety, characterized by feelings of discomfort or unease towards writing activities, was a significant issue that could hinder students' performance and learning.

The research design of this research were descriptive quantitative since this research aims to know describe the level of writing anxiety faced by ELESP Students of FKIP Lambung Mangkurat University. The researcher categorized writing anxiety into three types: somatic anxiety, cognitive anxiety, and avoidance behavior. Data were collected using a five-point Likert scale questionnaire adapted from the Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI) and distributed to 91 students in the Intensive Reading and Writing Course.

The findings revealed that 49.86% of the respondents experienced a medium level of writing anxiety, with a number of students reporting avoidance behavior as a significant factor. The data suggested that while somatic and cognitive anxieties were present, they were less prominent compared to avoidance behavior. This study highlighted the need for targeted interventions to address writing anxiety, suggesting that group work and peer support could be beneficial in reducing students' anxiety levels. Additionally, the research called for further studies to explore effective strategies to reduce writing anxiety in various educational contexts.

The suggestions were made to lecturers, students, and the further researchers. For the lecturers could develop more effective teaching methods to support students in overcoming these challenges and improving their writing skills; for students to help them know their level and expected to have the solution to overcome it; the researcher hope that further researcher can conduct another research in the same field with better detail.