The Effects of PBL-based Collaborative Writing on English Writing Anxiety in General English Classes

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of students’ collaborative English writing on writing anxiety. To this end, online surveys and English achievement tests were conducted on 120 students enrolled in D University in Chuncheongnam-do. The study’s results showed that there was improvement in English achievement after collaborative writing. Also, in the pre- and post-surveys, there were statistically significant differences in sub-factors of English writing anxiety, which include somatic anxiety, avoidance behavior, and cognitive anxiety. Students mentioned the advantages of collaborative writing as improved writing quality, reduced grammatical errors, decreased burden, and increased confidence. However, some pointed out that collaborative English writing did not directly help reduce writing anxiety. The results imply that it is necessary to establish a teaching/learning environment and process-oriented assessment that promotes interactions to alleviate English writing anxiety.