Helping L2 students overcome negative writing affect. (10th April 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Abdel Latif, Muhammad
• Is Part Of: Writing & pedagogy. Volume 11:Number 1(2019)
• Page Start: 151
• Page End: 163
• Publication Date: 2019-04-10
• Subjects: writing motivation -- writers' self-efficacy -- writing affect -- writers' apprehension -- writers' anxiety; English language -- Rhetoric -- Study and teaching -- Periodicals; English language -- Style -- Study and teaching -- Periodicals; English language -- Writing -- Study and teaching -- Periodicals; English language -- Written English -- Study and teaching -- Periodicals; 808.042071
• DOI: 10.1558/wap.38569
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1756-5839

Abstract

Abstract : Affect is an important predictor of writers' performance. Though writing affect has been researched since the mid-1970s, few works have addressed the ways to motivate students to write and/or help them avoid demotivation. This paper suggests some guidelines that teachers can follow to help L2 students overcome negative writing affect. After briefly highlighting the aspects of negative writing affect and describing its causes, the paper provides five main guidelines for helping demotivated L2 students to write. These guidelines are: improving students' linguistic knowledge, integrating technological tools in writing instruction, nurturing students' positive beliefs about writing, optimizing teacher feedback, and orchestrating peer assessment activities. The first two pedagogical guidelines are concerned with fostering students' positive writing affect indirectly through enabling them to overcome their composing problems and write in a supportive environment, whereas the last three focus on enhancing it directly by nurturing their positive beliefs about and attitudes towards writing. Each guideline is rationalized and described in detail.