An Analytical Study of Students' Writing Anxiety When Writing an Undergraduate Thesis

Abstract

This current research focused on factors and levels of student writing anxiety that affect their progress in their undergraduate thesis writing. This study also investigates their strategies for dealing with writing anxiety. This study used a qualitative method. The participants were 41 students, consisting of 35 females and six males, in the 8th semester of the English department at a private university in Malang. The data was obtained by assigning the students to fill out the questionnaires and be interviewed afterwards. The data were analyzed by checking the students' answers to the questionnaire and calculating the students' scores of student writing anxiety when writing their undergraduate thesis. The participant who was interviewed was a student who got the highest score in anxiety. The researcher analyzed data from interviews by using context analysis. The result of this study is a moderate level of writing anxiety. Four strategies are found in this study: 1) Taking a break to relax, 2) Controlling emotions, 3) Reading more resources, and 4) Finding support from others. The results of this study indicated the need to acknowledge and offer appropriate solutions or strategies for students who experienced anxiety while writing an undergraduate thesis. When students experienced anxiety, they were able to follow the strategies found in this study to overcome or reduce the anxiety of writing an undergraduate thesis that they experienced. The study focused on EFL students, specifically those from Indonesia. This study could have been more effective or had an impact on English foreign learners. English not being their main or second language, factors similar to the results of this study were likely to have caused them to experience writing anxiety when writing an undergraduate thesis. Keyword: Writing Anxiety, Undergraduate Thesis and Strategy