"EXPLORING EFL STUDENTS’ WRITING ANXIETY: INFLUENTIAL FACTORS AND COPING STRATEGIES"

Abstract

"Writing anxiety arises from multiple sources that shape how students approach writing tasks. This qualitative study examines the factors that influence writing anxiety and the strategies used to manage it among Vietnamese university students learning English as a foreign language in the Mekong Delta. Nine students took part in semi structured interviews, and their accounts were analyzed through thematic analysis. The findings identify several groups of influences on writing anxiety, including linguistic difficulties, cognitive and psychological pressures, concerns about evaluation and feedback, time and task constraints, social and cultural expectations, and challenges related to digital tools. Students addressed these pressures through a range of coping strategies, such as cognitive and metacognitive regulation, emotional management, help seeking and resource use, technology based support, and reflective practices that encourage gradual improvement. Notably, some factors that initially intensified anxiety later became resources that students drew on to reduce it. These results highlight the need for educators and learners to work together to mitigate the effects of writing anxiety and to support steady, long term development of writing skills."