Excellent writing skills are crucial for communication, assessment, education, and employment. However, second language learners often avoid writing due to negative emotions such as anxiety and distress, resulting in low willingness to write (WTW). This paper starts with the concepts of writing anxiety and WTW, analyzes the relationship between the two, and proposes three strategies—writing planning, writing monitoring, and writing evaluation—at the pre-writing, writing, and post-writing stages, aiming to provide practical pathways for reducing writing anxiety and improving WTW among second language learners.
Cite this paper
Wang, S. (2026). Decreasing Writing Anxiety and Increasing Willingness to Write. Open Access Library Journal, 13, e15964. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1115964.
Mehat, S.Z. and Ismail, L. (2021) Malaysian Tertiary ESL Students’ Writing Errors and Their Implications on English Language Teaching. <i>Asian Journal of University Education</i>, 17, 235-242. <br>https://doi.org/10.24191/ajue.v17i3.14504
Maniam, M., Swaran Singh, J.K., Swaran Singh, C.K. and Benjamin Jeyaraja, S.S. (2023) The Effects of 36663 Layout and Gender Differences in Writing Narrative Essay among Junior 3 ESL Learners. <i>International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences</i>, 13, 766-781. <br>https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v13-i1/15928
Rosdiana, R. (2019) EFL Students’ Attitudes towards English Academic Writing. <i>Getsempena English Education Journal</i>, 6, 126-132.<br>https://doaj.org/article/aa1b8cd298a94eda8e09a5f0ba66cb2f
Khosravi, R., Mohammadi, E., Esmaeili, N. and Zandi, H. (2023) Perfectionism and Writing Anxiety as Predictors of Iranian EFL Learners’ Performance in IELTS Writing Module: A Multi-Dimensional Perspective. <i>Frontiers in Education</i>, 8, Article ID: 1108542. <br>https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.1108542
Hayes, J.R. (1996) A New Framework for Understanding Cognition and Affect in Writing. In C. Levy, M. and Ransdell, S., Eds., <i>The Science of Writing</i>:<i> Theories</i>,<i> Methods</i>,<i> Individual Differences</i>,<i> and Applications</i>, International Reading Association, 1-27.<br>https://www.researchgate.net/publication/271429714_A_new_framework_for_understanding_cognition_and_affect_in_writing
Wang, H. and Troia, G.A. (2023) How Students’ Writing Motivation, Teachers’ Personal and Professional Attributes, and Writing Instruction Impact Student Writing Achievement: A Two-Level Hierarchical Linear Modeling Study. <i>Frontiers in Psychology</i>, 14, Article ID: 1213929. <br>https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1213929
Zhang, D. and Zhang, L.J. (2019) Metacognition and Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) in Second/Foreign Language Teaching. In: Gao, X., Ed., <i>Springer International Handbooks of Education</i>, Springer International Publishing, 883-897. <br>https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-02899-2_47
Daly, J.A. and Miller, M.D. (1975) Apprehension of Writing as a Predictor of Message Intensity. <i>The Journal of Psychology</i>, 89, 175-177. <br>https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.1975.9915748
Shuai, S. (2025) An Empirical Study on the Effectiveness of Multiple Feedback Modes in Alleviating College Students’ English Writing Anxiety. <i>English Square</i>, 32, 116-119. (In Chinese)
Guo, Y., and Qin, X.Q. (2010) A Report on the Foreign Language Writing Anxiety Test for Chinese Non-English Major College Students and Its Implications for Writing Teaching. <i>Foreign Language World</i>, 2, 54-62. (In Chinese)
Macintyre, P.D., Clément, R., Dörnyei, Z. and Noels, K.A. (1998) Conceptualizing Willingness to Communicate in a L2: A Situational Model of L2 Confidence and Affiliation. <i>The Modern Language Journal</i>, 82, 545-562. <br>https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.1998.tb05543.x
Khajavy, G.H., Ghonsooly, B., Hosseini Fatemi, A. and Choi, C.W. (2016) Willingness to Communicate in English: A Microsystem Model in the Iranianeflclassroom Context. <i>TESOL Quarterly</i>, 50, 154-180. <br>https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.204
Macintyre, P.D. and Legatto, J.J. (2011) A Dynamic System Approach to Willingness to Communicate: Developing an Idiodynamic Method to Capture Rapidly Changing Affect. <i>Applied Linguistics</i>, 32, 149-171. <br>https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amq037
Shen, X., Hao, C. and Peng, J. (2024) Promoting EFL Learners’ Willingness to Communicate through Transmediation in a Digital Storytelling Workshop. <i>Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development</i>, 45, 3109-3126. <br>https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2022.2086257
Choe, A.T. (2017) Exploring the Dynamics of Willingness to Communicate in Written Communication: A Case Study. <i>Working Papers in TESOL & Applied Linguistics</i>, 17, 39-55.
Hashemian, M. and Farhang-Ju, M. (2022) Comparative Effects of Direct and Metalinguistic Computer-Mediated Feedback on L2 Learners’ Writing Ability and Willingness-to-Write. <i>Journal of Modern Research in English Language Studies</i>, 9, 119-142.
De Bernardi, B. and Antolini, E. (2007) Chapter 10: Fostering Students’ Willingness and Interest in Argumentative Writing: An Intervention Study. In: Hidi, S. and Boscolo, P., Eds., <i>Writing and Motivation</i>, Brill, 183-201. <br>https://doi.org/10.1163/9781849508216_011