SECOND LANGUAGE WRITING ANXIETY: A COMPREHENSIVE STRUCTURED REVIEW

Abstract

Writing in a second language presents numerous challenges for learners, one of the most significant being Second Language Writing Anxiety (SLWA). Notably, SLWA is characterized by feelings of apprehension, fear, and worry that arise when writing in a non-native language. Anxious learners often experience various negative emotions, including heightened apprehension during the writing process and an overwhelming fear of engaging in writing tasks, which hinders their ability to write effectively. Multiple factors, including emotional responses, personality traits, linguistic limitations, past experiences, and gender differences, contribute to the experience of SLWA among learners. Many learners also struggle with SLWA due to inadequate resources, limited practice opportunities, cultural differences, and ineffective task designs. These challenges often result in severe consequences, such as lower academic achievement, procrastination, and diminished writing quality. However, the experiences of SLWA varied for individual learners due to its situational-specific property. To explore this issue, this paper adopts the PRISMA approach to systematically review 29 scholarly articles published between 2023 and 2024. The review identifies diverse underlying factors leading to SLWA. It also reports practical strategies for mitigating SLWA, including psychological methods, pedagogical techniques and technological tools. The findings suggest that understanding learners' contextual needs is necessary to effectively address SLWA and improve their confidence to become proficient writers.