Writing Anxiety and Writing Performance among Generation Z Undergraduates in an English-Medium Instruction Context: A Correlational Study

This research examines how writing anxiety affects writing skills of Generation Z students who study business administration through English-Medium Instruction programs. A quantitative correlational design was employed, involving 60 first-year students selected through random sampling. The researchers gathered data by using the Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI) together with a standardized academic writing test. The descriptive statistics showed that students experienced writing anxiety at a moderate level, with cognitive anxiety being the most dominant dimension. The Pearson correlation analysis showed that writing anxiety negatively impacted writing performance, demonstrating a moderate strength of relationship between the two variables (r = -0.46, p = .001). Cognitive anxiety showed the strongest link to decreased writing performance among the three anxiety-related dimensions. The research results demonstrate that internal psychological elements which include fear of negative evaluation and self-doubt significantly impact writing performance. The study demonstrates how cognitive anxiety needs to be managed because it creates challenges for students who must complete written assignments in English-Medium Instruction programs. The research investigates writing anxiety present in digital-native learners which creates new knowledge about the topic while showing educators practical teaching methods for English-Medium Instruction classrooms.

Writing anxiety, cognitive anxiety, Gen Z learners, ESL writing

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