A Study Of Graduation Thesis Writing Anxiety Of English Major Undergraduates And Their Coping Styles

Since the 1980 s,the field of foreign language learning has paid great attention to the impact of affective variables,represented by anxiety,on language learning,and research has been conducted covering various aspects of the effects,causes and research instruments of foreign language anxiety.Most studies have shown that foreign language learners’ anxiety can negatively affect their learning performance.However,among the studies on second language writing,few studies have explored Chinese English majors’ thesis writing anxiety.As a concentrated demonstration of their language competence and academic achievements,graduation thesis has been unsatisfactory in terms of quality,which is partly affected by thesis writing anxiety.Therefore,it is necessary to conduct a comprehensive study on English majors’ thesis writing anxiety,including its levels,manifestations and causes.In addition to this,the coping styles students adopt to address writing anxiety deserve attention.Based on the research purposes and the specificity of the research subjects,this study revised and employed the English Thesis Writing Anxiety Scale,the Causal Factors of English Thesis Writing Anxiety Scale and English Thesis Writing Anxiety Coping Styles Scale to investigate the four questions respectively namely the level and manifestation,the causal factors,learners’ coping styles,and the relationship between anxiety level and coping styles.The study was divided into two phases: the pilot test and the formal study.Data was collected from 353 English major undergraduates through an online questionnaire.With the help of SPSS 26.0,the reliability and validity tests were conducted.The data description in the formal study were made to analyze the relationship between causes and manifestations of thesis writing anxiety,and between the levels of anxiety and coping styles.The study found that English major undergraduates generally experienced thesis writing anxiety,and most of them were at a medium or high level of anxiety,manifested in somatic anxiety,cognitive anxiety and avoidance behaviour.The causes of thesis writing anxiety included,but were not limited to,inadequate professional skills,insufficient linguistic competence,inadequate motivation,faulty writing strategies,and interference from external aspects.When faced with thesis writing anxiety,English major undergraduates adopted various kinds of coping styles,such as peer emotional support seeking,positive thinking,positive action,and resignation.Learners with different levels of anxiety also differed in their choice of coping styles.Based on these findings,this paper puts forward some suggestions for teachers and learners to cope with thesis writing anxiety.