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Vol. 7, No. 1, April 2024, pp. 1-12  

       https://doi.org/10.12928/eltej.v7i1.10412          http://journal2.uad.ac.id/index.php/eltej/index        eltej@pbi.uad.ac.id  

Investigation into students’ performance in foreign language 

business writing and their attitudes toward it 

Piriya Thaksanan  

Kasetsart University Chalermphrakiat Sakon Nakhon Province Campus, 59/6 Moo 1, Vor Por Ror Or 366 Road, Chiang Khruea, Sakon Nakhon, Thailand 

peereeya.t@ku.th  

 

A R T I C L E  I N F O 

  

A B ST R ACT    

 

 

Article history 

Received 16 January 2024 

Revised 12 February 2024 

Accepted 15 March 2024 

  Anxiety can affect learners' performance in several ways. It can be a 
helpful motivational tool to assist students in learning a language. At 
the same time, anxiety can become a serious factor in hindering 
language acquisition. This study examines the relationship between 
students' writing performance and anxiety levels across three different 
proficiency groups of students. The participants were fifty EFL 
students enrolled in a Business English Writing course, and the target 
writing genre was inquiries and acknowledgments of inquiry letters. 
The two main instruments used to collect data were students' writing 
samples and closed-ended questionnaires. The data were analyzed 
utilizing descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson's 
coefficient correlation. This study showed a significant difference in 
writing anxiety between the high and the low-proficiency groups. In 
contrast, it was found that there were no statistically significant 
differences in anxiety between the high and the mid-proficiency 
groups. In addition, the study’s outcomes indicated that the students' 
level of anxiety varied across the three groups of students. It was found 
that the students with a high level of anxiety performed less 
professionally than those with lower writing anxiety. The findings 
provide insights into teaching and learning writing, particularly into 
ways to decrease learners' anxiety and improve their learning 
outcomes. 

This is an open access article under the CC–BY-SA license. 

    

 

 
Keywords 

Business Correspondence 

EFL Writing Anxiety 

Learning Anxiety 

Second Language Writing 

 

 

  

How to Cite: Thaksanan, P. (2024). Investigation into students’ performance in foreign language business 
writing and their attitudes toward it. English Language Teaching Educational Journal, 7 (1), 1-12. 
https://doi.org/10.12928/eltej.v7i1.10412 

1. Introduction  

 Writing is a cognitive process that entails multiple factors combined to complete one task. To 
compose a piece of writing, a writer must have sufficient knowledge of the genre, language features, 
and writing process. Gass et al.’s (2013) substantial study discovers that writing is challenging and 
time-consuming due to many factors, such as insufficient knowledge of linguistics and non-language 
factors, including age, aptitude, motivation, attitude, and anxiety, all of which can influence learners' 
degree of success.  

Among the possible factors that cause writing difficulty, anxiety, or apprehension, is one major 
cause attributed to affect writing performance, especially for learners who study English as a Foreign 
English Language (EFL) (Rui, 2022). Anxiety significantly influences writing performance, either in 
a good or bad way (Turgay, 2023). A high level of anxiety negatively affects learners' learning 
outcomes, meaning learners tend to perform better when their level of anxiety is reduced (Çocuk & 
Yelken, 2021; De Vleeschauwer, 2023; Zerey & Müjdeci, 2023). By understanding the levels and 
types of anxiety that affect learners' writing performance, educators can help anxious learners decrease 
their worries and improve their language learning.  

https://doi.org/10.12928/eltej.v7i1.10412
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2 English Language Teaching Educational Journal   ISSN 2621-6485 

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In Thailand, English is taught as a foreign language, and the mainstream English class typically 
focuses on accuracy products (Chuanpongpanich, 2021; Sundrarajun, 2020). In most classes, students' 
writing abilities have been measured by looking at their language abilities in terms of the accuracy of 
the grammatical features they use rather than other skills, such as students' ideation, learning 
processes, and so on (Phothongsunan, 2018). Thus, the opportunity to compose a paragraph or essay 
is rare in a regular classroom setting. However, Suganuma (2023) asserts that one of the biggest 
obstacles to writing is students' lack of chances to write and unpreparedness for academic writing. 
Hence, students' unpreparedness for writing can be one factor that increases anxiety and results in 
unsatisfactory writing performance. 

The term affect has multiple meanings in different fields of study. In language acquisition, Gass, 
Behney, and Plonsky (2013) define the term affect as “feelings or emotional reactions about the 
language, about the people who speak that language, about the culture where that language is spoken, 
and about the language-learning environment” (p. 459). In language teaching and learning, affect 
consists of three factors influencing language learning: language shock and culture shock, anxiety, 
and social distance (Gass et al., 2013). According to MacIntyre and Gregersen (2012), affect can be 
seen as feelings of self-confidence and willingness to communicate anxiety, significantly impacting 
language learning. It can either enhance learning or interfere with second or foreign language 
acquisition. The significant benefits of understanding affect are that it can help teachers and 
practitioners select effective teaching techniques, reduce students’ anxiety, foster in them positive 
attitudes toward the foreign language and foreign language culture, and increase their self-belief in 
their capacity to learn a foreign language (Dewaele, 2013). 

Moreover, students understanding affect could enhance their motivation to become capable target 
language users. Variables regarding how affect is involved in language learning have been 
systematically studied, and they include factors such as motivation, self-efficacy, attitudes, and 
language anxiety (Horwitz et al., 1986; Gardner, 1985; Dörnyei, 2007; Liu et al., 2019; Ardasheva et 
al., 2018). Of these variables, anxiety has been recognized as a negative interference impacting 
students’ language learning journey. 

Anxiety has been defined as “a term that encompasses the feelings of worry and negative, fear-
related emotion associated with learning or using a language that is not an individual's mother tongue” 
(MacIntyre & Gregersen, 2012, p. 103). Studies examining how anxiety correlates with foreign 
language learning have found that students with high anxiety tended to earn lower scores than those 
who were less anxious about learning (Jin et al., 2021; Tahmouresi & Papi, 2021). For example, Jin 
et al. (2021) reported how positive emotion supports students' foreign language learning. Ninety-four 
Chinese students were enrolled in this study and were divided into control and experimental groups. 
The experimental group received a reminiscing approach to reducing their anxiety level. The findings 
revealed that Chinese students with low anxiety levels outperformed those students who could not 
properly manage their anxiety levels. The study indicated that students with low anxiety levels could 
develop a better awareness of their English language learning.  

There have been attempts to measure learners' anxiety levels in various language skills. In second 
and foreign language writing, Cheng (2004) developed the Second Language Writing Anxiety 
Inventory (SLWAI) to measure learners' level of anxiety in learning writing. The SLWAI employs a 
five-point Likert scale and comprises 22 items. Three anxiety variables involved in the inventory are 
somatic cognitive, physiological, and avoidance behavior. Following Cheng (2004), somatic cognitive 
anxiety includes anxiety-related physiological signs, such as sweat or a faster heart rate. Physiological 
anxiety is the mental and emotional side of anxiety, characterized by thoughts, concerns, and anxieties, 
mainly about how others see one. Lastly, avoidance behavior refers to the steps or behaviors people 
take to avoid a situation or something that makes them anxious. 

Hussein’s (2013) similarly sought to identify the causes of foreign language writing anxiety. 
Hussein's Sources of Writing Anxiety Questionnaire has been used to measure seven anxiety 
variables, namely test-related, cognitive, linguistic, teaching practices, evaluation, affective, and 
feedback factors. Hussein's questionnaire comprises 35 items and employs a Likert scale ranging from 
strongly disagree (1 point) to strongly agree (5 points). It does not only understand the level of writing 
anxiety, as the inventory also seeks to determine sources that make students anxious when performing 
written tasks.  



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Oi (2023) conducted a study assessing first-year Japanese students' writing anxiety and how their 
anxiety levels changed over nine months of teaching. The students were divided into three proficiency 
levels, namely low, middle, and high. The primary instruments used in this study were open-ended 
questionnaires and the SLWAI. The findings of this study revealed that writing anxiety tendencies 
varied across different proficiency groups of students. It was found that writing anxiety could be 
influenced by English proficiency and that certain aspects of anxiety were somatic and cognitive. 
However, students' avoidance behavior persisted in all three groups of students.  

Another, recent study, by Keyvanoğlu and Atmaca (2023) investigated the relationship between 
students' proficiency (A1, A2, and B1, from high to low) and their level of writing anxiety using 
Cheng’s (2004) SLWAI. This study's findings indicated that most students had high foreign language 
writing anxiety levels. A further analysis showed that female students were more anxious than male 
students. The outcomes of the study indicated that the A1 group of students reported the highest level 
of writing anxiety compared to those in the A2 and B1 groups. According to this study, students' 
proficiency level and gender could both affect their writing anxiety. 

Although many current studies have investigated anxiety and learners' language learning 
performance, studies have mostly considered academic writing. In contrast, other writing genres, 
especially writing in a professional setting, have seen little investigation. In addition, the issues of 
anxiety and language learning in the Thai context have primarily been researched in terms of speaking 
skills, while other skills, such as writing, have been of relatively minor concern. Therefore, this study 
attempts to fill this gap by examining how anxiety affects students' Business English writing 
performance. Since business writing differs in style from academic compositions, it is worth 
investigating whether professional writing genres affect students' anxiety in different or similar ways. 
The outcomes of this study contribute to academic knowledge of the existing literature in that students' 
apprehension influences their writing performance regardless of types of writing genres. Moreover, it 
is worth investigating significant types of anxiety that can cause students problems when studying and 
producing writing tasks. This study's main research and research questions are presented next, 
followed by the literature review, method, findings, discussion and conclusion.  

Research questions 

1. What is the level of students' foreign language Business Writing anxiety in Thai EFL 
students?   

2. What is the correlation between the students' foreign language writing anxiety and 
performance in writing across three proficiency groups (high, medium, low)? 

3. What factors cause anxiety in foreign language writing across the three proficiency groups? 

2. Methodology  

This correlational research aimed to investigate the relationship between student performance in 
Business English writing, specifically writing an inquiry and acknowledging an inquiry letter, with 
their writing anxiety and sources of anxiety in writing. 

2.1. Participants 

This study involved fifty second-year English major students enrolled in the 01355252 Business 
English Writing course in the first term of the 2023 academic year. Purposive sampling was employed 
to recruit the participants. The students were selected because they had sufficient experience in 
English writing since it was essential for them to pass an Introduction to English Reading and Writing 
course. All the students also attended English Writing as another compulsory course.  

2.2. Instruments 

1) Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI) 

In order to measure the participants’ overall second and foreign language writing levels, Chen’s 
(2004) SLWAI was used. The inventory consists of 22 items and employs a 5-point Likert scale: 1 = 
totally disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = not sure, 4 = agree, 5 = totally agree. The maximum score the 
participants could obtain was 110.  

 



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2) Causes of Second Language Writing Anxiety 

The Causes of Second Language Writing Anxiety questionnaire developed by Hussein (2013) was 
adopted to examine the anxiety suffered by the participants in completing Business English writing 
tasks. The questionnaire comprises 35 items on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 “strongly 
disagree” to “strongly agree”. The questionnaire focuses on seven causes of writing anxiety, namely 
affective, cognitive, linguistic, teaching practice, feedback, evaluation, and test-related anxiety. The 
total scores the students could receive is 175.  

The questionnaires were translated into Thai to facilitate students’ responses and avoid 
misunderstanding. The translated version was validated and checked by three experts who were 
English instructors. The questionnaires were revised after the comments. A pilot test was carried out 
with another group of English major students who were homogeneous to the participants of this study. 

3) Timed Writing Tasks (Letters of Inquiry and Acknowledging an Inquiry Letter) 

To measure the students’ performance in Business English writing, a timed writing task was 
organized. After finishing the instruction, regarding learning how to write an inquiry and 
acknowledging an inquiry letter, students took a written test with a one-and-a-half-hour time limit. 
The students wrote 100 pieces of writing, meaning 50 letters of inquiry and 50 replies to inquiries. 
The students’ written tasks were marked by two experts using the same scoring rubrics. The experts 
were English lecturers with over ten years’ experience teaching English writing. The total scores from 
the two raters were compared to ensure inter-rater reliability using a Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient. 

2.3. Data Collection Procedures 

The data consisted of the 100 completed tasks and the 50 completed questionnaires. The Thai 
version of the questionnaires was distributed to the participants, and the students had 40 minutes to 
complete them.  

2.4. Data Analysis  

The responses to the questionnaires were analyzed using descriptive statistics. For the SLWAI, 
five items (1, 4, 17, 18 and 22) needed the score to be reversed before summing all the points. The 
summed scores were used to allocate the level of the participants’ anxiety to one of three levels, i.e., 
low, middle, and high. Similarly, responses to the Causes of Second Language Writing Anxiety 
questionnaire were analyzed using descriptive statistics.  

Students’ writing tasks were marked by two raters using the scoring rubrics. The maximum score 
for each piece of writing was 10; therefore, the highest score the students could achieve was 20. 
Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient was employed to ensure the inter-rater reliability. The participants 
were divided into three groups based on their performance, namely low, middle, and high proficiency. 
To determine the correlation between participants’ writing performance and their levels of anxiety, 
inferential statistics were used. 

3. Findings and Discussion 

This section presents the main findings from the students’ Business English writing tasks, SLWAI, 
and Causes of Second Language Writing Anxiety questionnaire. Firstly, the student’s personal 
information is presented in Table 1 below.  

Table 1.  Students’ demographic information 

Gender N Percentage 

Male 34 68 

Female 11 22 

Not Specified 5 10 

Total 50 100 

 

Table 1 shows that 50 students participated in this study, of whom 68 percent were male and 22 
percent were female, while 10 percent were not specified. 



ISSN 2621-6485 English Language Teaching Educational Journal 5 
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3.1 Students’ Business English writing proficiency across three groups 

Students’ performances in writing an inquiry and reply letter were analyzed using descriptive 
statistics (mean, S.D.). The maximum score which the students could attain was 20. The scores for the 
students’ writing tasks are presented in Table 2 below.   

Table 2.  Students’ Business English writing performances across three proficiency levels 

Students’ Proficiency N x̄ S.D. Minimum Maximum 
High 17 16.53 1.50 15 20 

Mid 22 12. 1.92 9.00 14 

Low 11 4.18 2.09 .00 7.00 

Total 50     

 

The data shows that the high-proficiency group attained an average score of 16.53 (S.D. = 1.50). 
The average score from the mid-proficiency group was 12 (S.D. = 1.92), and the low-proficiency 
group of students achieved an average score of 4.18 (S.D. = 2.09). 

To compare the students’ performance across the three proficiency groups, the average scores from 
all three groups were analyzed and compared using ANOVA. The results of this analysis are displayed 
in Table 3. 

Table 3.  Comparisons of students’ performances across three proficiency levels 

ANOVA 

 Sum of Squares df Mean Square F P 

Value 
 Between Groups 1004.510 2 5002.25 148.58 .000  

Within Groups 158.88 47 3.38    

Total 1163.38 49     

Multiple Comparisons 

 (J) Family (J) Family Mean 

difference 

S.D. P-Value 

LSD High Proficiency Mid Proficiency 4.39 .60 .000 

  Low Proficiency 12.38 .72 .000 

 Mid Proficiency High Proficiency -4.39 .60 .000 

  Low Proficiency 7.99 .67 .000 

 Low Proficiency High Proficiency -12.38 .72 .000 

  Mid Proficiency -7.99 .67 .000 

  

Table 3 shows that the student’s average scores significantly differed across the three proficiency 
groups. The high-proficiency group of students significantly outperformed the students in the other 
two proficiency groups (p = .000). When comparing the mean scores of the mid-proficiency and the 
low-proficiency groups, the results show that the mid-proficiency group attained statistically 
significant higher mean scores than the students in the low-proficiency group (p > .05). Therefore, the 
findings of this study reveal that the students across the three proficiency levels were significantly 
different in terms of their business writing abilities.  

3.2. Level of student anxiety across three groups  

This section presents students’ anxiety in writing derived from the SLWAI questionnaire to answer 
RQ1: What is the level of students' foreign language Business Writing anxiety in Thai EFL students? 
The questionnaire was analyzed utilizing descriptive statistics, and the results for the student’s writing 
anxiety are presented in Figure 1. The total scores range from 22 – 110. To interpret the anxiety level, 
65 and above indicates high anxiety, a score of 51 – 64 indicates moderate anxiety, and a score of 22 
– 50 represents a low anxiety level.    



6 English Language Teaching Educational Journal   ISSN 2621-6485 

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Fig. 1. Students’ Second Language Writing Anxiety 

Figure 1 above shows that only two writing anxiety levels were found in this study, namely the 
highly anxious and moderately anxious groups. Most students experienced high anxiety (60 percent). 

 

Fig. 2. Dimensions of Second Language Writing Anxiety 

As seen in Figure 2, the students in this study were most anxious in the form of cognitive anxiety 
(38 percent). The second most common dimension regarding second language writing was avoidance 
behavior, with 33 percent. Finally, 29 percent of the students apparently experienced somatic anxiety.  

This study explored students' anxiety levels and possible causes of anxiety in 50 English major 
students in Thailand. It also investigated the relationship between the participants’ performances and 
anxiety levels, together with the causes of second language writing anxiety. The findings for RQ1, 
concerning the level of Thai EFL students’ foreign language writing anxiety, indicate that more than 
half of the students in this study experienced high anxiety regarding business writing issues. 
Meanwhile, only some students experienced moderate anxiety in Business English writing. Besides, 
this study's outcomes revealed that most students were worried about cognitive anxiety. This aligns 
with previous studies (Hartono & Maharani, 2020; Rabadi & Rabadi, 2020; Quvanch & Si Na, 2022; 
Rezaei & Jafari, 2014). Avoidance behavior was found to be the second highest cause of anxiety in 
this study. The outcome of this study is different from that of Oi (2023) in that the proficiency group 
of students showed a low level of avoidance. In Oi’s (2023) study, avoidance behavior tended to be 
stable over time. Although target students could develop reduced writing anxiety, particularly 
regarding cognitive and somatic anxiety, their avoidance behavior remained the same. This is likely 
because most of the students feared tests and evaluations, hence they might not be willing to take a 
writing test (Nawaz, 2021). 

3.3. Students’ second language writing anxiety and their Business Writing performance  

Two raters marked 100 pieces of business writing, consisting of a letter of inquiry and a reply to 
an inquiry letter, against the scoring rubrics. The total scores from the students’ writing tasks and the 
dataset retrieved from the SLWAL questionnaire were analyzed using the Pearson Correlation. The 
results answer RQ2: What is the correlation between the students' foreign language writing anxiety 
and performance in writing across three proficiency groups (high, medium, low)? The correlation 
between the students’ writing anxiety and their writing performance is displayed in Figure 3. 



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Fig. 3. Correlation between students’ second language writing anxiety and their writing performance 

In Figure 3, the scatter diagram for the students' second language writing anxiety and their 
performance in the business writing tasks shows a negative correlation between the two variables. The 
data in Table 4 indicates that the relationship between the students’ second language writing anxiety 
and performance in Business English writing was a statistically significant negative one (r = -.362, p 
= .010). 

Table 4.  Correlation between the student's second language writing anxiety and performance in Business 

English writing 

  Anxiety Writing Scores 
Anxiety Pearson Correlation 1.000 -.362 

 Sig. (2-tailed)  .010 

 N 50 50 

Writing Scores Pearson Correlation -.362 1.000 

 Sig. (2-tailed) .010  

 N 50 50 

 

 To answer RQ2, concerning the correlation between students’ foreign language writing 
anxiety and their performance in writing across three proficiency groups, the students’ writing scores 
and the information they provided in their responses to the SLWAI were analyzed. The findings 
demonstrated that the students’ performance in Business English writing and their level of anxiety 
were negatively correlated. In this respect, the target students tended to be more anxious when their 
Business English writing proficiency was lower. The results of this current study are consistent with 
previous research (Güvendir & Uzun, 2023; Khosravi et al., 2023; Parichut & Chinokul, 2014; Wang, 
2021; Zabihi, 2018) 

3.4 Factors causing student writing anxiety across three proficiency levels 

To answer RQ3: What factors cause anxiety in foreign language writing across the three 
proficiency groups? The students completed the Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory 
questionnaires. The questionnaire comprises 35 items exploring seven aspects of writing anxiety: 
affective, cognitive, linguistic, teaching practice, feedback, evaluation, and test-related anxiety. The 
questionnaire data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean, S.D.).  

Table 5.  Causes of second language writing anxiety 

Anxiety Causes x̄ S.D. 
Affective Anxiety 3.46 1.06 

Cognitive Anxiety 3.48 1.13 

Linguistic Anxiety 3.59 1.13 

Teaching Practice  2.76 1.15 

Feedback 2.72 1.22 

Evaluation 3.27 1.30 

Test-related 3.88 1.05 

 

According to Table 5, test-related factors contributed the highest to students' writing anxiety, with 
the highest mean score (x̄ = 3.88, S.D. = 1.05), followed by linguistic factors (x̄ = 3.59, S.D. = 1.13). 
The third-highest mean score found in this study was cognitive anxiety (x̄ = 3.48, SD = 1.13). In 



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contrast, teaching practice and feedback were the study's two most minor anxiety factors, with mean 
scores of 2.76, S.D. = 1.15 and x̄ = 2.72, S.D. = 1.22, respectively. 

Table 6.  Causes of second language writing anxiety across three proficiency groups 

Anxiety Causes 

High Proficiency 

N=16 

Mid-Proficiency 

N=23 

Low Proficiency 

N=11 

x̄ S.D. x̄ S.D. x̄ S.D. 

Affective Anxiety 3.51 1.11 3.35 1.21 3.74 .97 

Cognitive Anxiety 3.31 1.17 3.47 1.10 3.73 1.11 

Linguistic Anxiety 3.65 1.19 3.50 1.14 3.69 1.00 

Teaching Practice  2.69 1.12 2.55 1.10 3.32 1.11 

Feedback 2.73 1.35 2.48 1.01 3.20 1.32 

Evaluation 3.63 1.32 2.92 1.25 3.47 1.20 

Test-related 4.02 1.00 3.57 1.05 4.33 .96 

 

Table 6 displays the factors causing students’ writing anxiety across the three proficiency groups 
(high, mid, and low proficiency). The high-proficiency students were apprehensive about the test-
related factor, with the highest mean score of 4.02, S.D., 1.00, followed by the linguistic anxiety (x̄ = 
3.65, S.D. = 1.19), and the evaluation anxiety (x̄ = 3.36, S.D. = 1.32). Similarly, the results show that 
test-related anxiety was the highest anxiety as rated by the mid-proficiency students, with a mean 
score of 3.57, S.D., 1.05, followed by linguistic anxiety (x̄ = 3.50, S.D. = 1.14), and cognitive anxiety 
(x̄ = 3.47, S.D. = 1.10). Regarding the low-proficiency group, the highest mean score was for test-
related anxiety, with an average score of 4.33 (S.D. = .96). Following that, cognitive anxiety was the 
second highest factor for the low-proficiency group (x̄ = 3.73, S.D. = 1.11). The students in the low-
proficiency group were also anxious about affective anxiety, with an average score of 3.74, S.D., .97. 
Interestingly, the findings in Table 6 indicate that the students from all three proficiency levels were 
less anxious about the teaching practice and feedback they received from the teacher.  

The results of RQ3: concerning which factors cause anxiety in students' foreign language writing 
across the three proficiency groups, demonstrate that the students experienced high test-related 
anxiety. Further analysis indicated that the students in the low-proficiency group experienced the 
highest level of anxiety compared to the high- and middle-proficiency groups). The second most 
common anxiety factor found in this study was linguistic anxiety. In this area of anxiety, the students 
in the high- and the low-proficiency groups tended to have similar levels of anxiety. This means there 
was no statistically significant difference between these two groups of students' levels of linguistic 
anxiety. Since most students perceived that their writing performance would be measured against their 
accurate use of linguistics in EFL, the high-proficiency group might worry a lot about their accurate 
use of linguistics in writing. Similarly, students in the low-proficiency group might perceive writing 
assessment in the same way as the high-proficiency students do. Consequently, the low-proficiency 
group, owing to their more limited linguistic knowledge, likely worried over having to demonstrate 
their linguistic knowledge in writing. Next, cognitive anxiety was the third factor that the students 
most feared. This study’s findings indicate that the students in the low-proficiency group experienced 
the highest level of cognitive anxiety, followed by the middle- and the high-proficiency groups of 
students.  

Based on this study's outcomes, students' different proficiency levels require different guidance to 
reduce student anxiety. This finding is similar to that of Oi (2023), indicating that writing anxiety 
varies across different proficiency-level Teachers should understand the anxiety factors associated 
with student writing abilities to help students manage their worries and improve their writing 
performance (Wang, 2021). It is suggested that the factor causing the most student anxiety should be 
prioritized. This present study showed that test-related anxiety was the most dominant anxiety 
experienced by the target groups of students regardless of their proficiency level. To this end, teachers 
could use the scoring rubrics to help reduce student test-related anxiety. To do so, students should be 
involved in designing the rubrics and fully understand how the rubrics will be used (Arindra & Ardi, 
2020; Wahyuni, et al., 2019; Nawas, 2020).  

 



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4. Conclusion  

To conclude, the outcomes of this study confirm the findings of previous studies in that anxiety 
negatively influences foreign language learning. The main finding reveals that students with high 
anxiety levels attained low scores in the writing inquiry and acknowledging an inquiry letter tasks. In 
contrast, the low anxiety level group of students obtained significantly higher scores than the students 
with high levels of anxiety. In addition, the results from the analysis of the causes of second language 
writing anxiety suggest that the students in this study most experienced test-related, linguistic, and 
cognitive anxiety. To better understand students’ degree of anxiety and the types of anxieties they 
have, teachers and practitioners can carefully design teaching techniques and provide supportive 
feedback to students. With appropriate instruction and anxiety management, students can be more 
confident and have more positive attitudes toward learning and writing in a foreign language. 

It should be noted that the participants involved in this study might not represent the entire 
population of EFL students in Thailand. In addition, the target writing tasks were limited to a business 
writing genre. Further study should explore other writing genres to better understand whether different 
target writing tasks, including different writing media, might affect student writing anxiety levels. 
Moreover, this study only assessed the students' overall abilities in writing an inquiry and replying to 
an inquiry letter. Further study on writing anxiety and writing features, such as content, organization, 
and linguistic features, should be undertaken. 

  

Acknowledgment 

The researcher extends sincere gratitude to KU Research for the research grants provided. The 
deepest appreciation is reserved for the experts for their invaluable comments, support, and guidance. 
Their time and thoughtful input significantly contributed to enhancing this study to its fullest potential. 
Additionally, heartfelt thanks are extended to the participants, whose dedicated efforts and energy 
were instrumental in the success of this study. With their kind cooperation, the project was completed 
successfully.  

Declarations 

Author contribution : The researcher is the only author and therefore accountable for the 
entirety of the manuscript's writing process. 

Funding statement : The research is funded under the Division of Research Administration 
and Academic Services, Kasetsart University Chalarmphrakiat Sakon 
Nakhon Province Campus, Thailand. 

Conflict of interest 

Ethics declaration 

: 

: 

The authors declare no conflict of interest. 

The authors acknowledge that this study adheres to ethical research 
standards set by the university and that the necessary permissions 
were obtained from the relevant institution for data collection. The 
authors support the English Language Teaching Educational Journal 
(ELTEJ) in maintaining high standards of personal conduct and 
practicing honesty in all our professional practices and endeavors. 

Additional information : No additional information is available for this paper. 

 

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https://www.readingmatrix.com/files/30-k6vtw195.pdf

	1. Introduction
	2. Methodology
	2.1. Participants
	2.2. Instruments
	1) Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI)
	2) Causes of Second Language Writing Anxiety
	3) Timed Writing Tasks (Letters of Inquiry and Acknowledging an Inquiry Letter)

	2.3. Data Collection Procedures
	2.4. Data Analysis

	3. Findings and Discussion
	3.1 Students’ Business English writing proficiency across three groups
	3.2. Level of student anxiety across three groups
	3.3. Students’ second language writing anxiety and their Business Writing performance
	3.4 Factors causing student writing anxiety across three proficiency levels

	4. Conclusion
	Acknowledgment
	Declarations

	REFERENCES

