English Language anxiety of FPT University students in learning English academic writing skills

Abstract

Writing is one of the most important English skills. Students with good English writing skills might have better opportunities for success than the others. However, to master English academic writing (EAW) skills is not simple since there are many factors involved in the writing process that students needs to be aware. Many students are struggling with English academic writing as academic writing is a complex cognitive process and might cause anxiety among English learners. The purposes of this study were to explore whether students experienced English language anxiety (ELA) when learning English academic writing or not, find out factors causing students’ language anxiety and then, suggest strategies to deal with difficulties to achieve success in learning English academic writing. The study involved 150 students from FPT University in Vietnam through surveys and interviews. Mixed methods were used for data collection and analysis. The study found out that a majority of the participants reported that they had anxiety in learning English academic writing skills. Causes of students’ language anxiety were revealed and solutions were recommended to help students improve their English academic skills and reduce anxiety in the learning process.