Writing Anxiety among Iranian EFL Learners and its Relationship with Tolerance of Ambiguity: A Gender Perspective
Subject Areas : Journal of Language, Culture, and Translation
ایرج زارعی خاتونی
1
(
کارشناس ارشد آموزش زبان انگلیسی، گروه زبان انگلیسی،دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی واحد شهرضا، شهرضا، ایران
)
شیما قبادی
2
(
دکترای آموزش زبان انگلیسی، گروه زبان انگلیسی، دانشگاه آزاداسلامی واحد شهرضا، شهرضا، ایران
)
Keywords: Writing Anxiety, ambiguity tolerance, language anxiety,
Abstract :
This study aims to investigate the relationship between writing anxiety and ambiguity tolerance among Iranian Intermediate EFL learners. Moreover, the researcher explored the role of gender in this matter. Random sampling was employed to select about 60 Iranian intermediate EFL learners (23 males and 37 females) from two private language schools in Karaj, Iran, whose ages range from 16 to 25. Before the data collection, a QOPT was administered as a standardized measure to check the homogeneity of subjects. Later, the selected participants were provided with the Second Language AT Scale (SLTAS) (Ely, 1995). After completing this scale, the Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI) was completed by them. After the data collection, the obtained scores were analyzed by SPSS Software. The following results were reached upon the completion of the experiment: (a) that there is a significant relationship between these two variables. It was found that the participants with a high level of ambiguity tolerance are less anxious; (b) male and female learners are different in the levels of writing anxiety. It was found that females are more anxious while writing in L2, and (c) it was found no significant relationship between gender and tolerance of ambiguity.