EFL College Students' Perception of English Writing Activities in High School and College

Date
2022-06-27
Authors
Hikaru Ishiyama
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EFL College Students' Perception of English Writing
Abstract
This paper explores to what extent the shifts in the types of English writing activities and instruction from secondary school to college can explain English as a foreign language (EFL) college students’ motivation, self-efficacy, and apprehension toward writing in English. Studies in the second language (L2) writing field suggest that previous writing instruction affects L2 writers’ performance and their beliefs. Students’ motivation and apprehension are also susceptible to the learning environments and the types of writing tasks. Given that college writing tasks are more demanding than high school writing, it can be hypothesized that college students have different degrees of motivation, self-efficacy, and writing apprehension from when they are in high school. A total of 101 Japanese college students participated in this survey study. The survey inquired about the types of writing activities the student participants experienced in high school and college as well as their motivation, apprehension, and self-efficacy in terms of writing in English with a 5-point Likert scale. The results showed that high school English-language writing tended to be de-contextualized such as translation activities from Japanese to English, while college writing was composition-based. The gap in writing tasks between the two institutional levels can explain the increase in students’ motivation for writing in English. Contrary to the hypothesis, however, the participant students maintained writing apprehension and low self-efficacy throughout high school and college. The results of this study can inform EFL instructors, policy-makers, and writing researchers of effective writing activities and curricula that may help student learners keep motivation for English writing, and transition smoothly from high school to college.
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