Exploring L2 students’ perceptions of their writing anxiety with drama-based pedagogy and linguistic support

ABSTRACT This qualitative research seeks to understand L2 student writers’ perceptions of writing anxiety when drama-based pedagogy and linguistic guidance are provided. This study draws on a qualitative analysis of 22 English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) students’ episodes of dramatic presentations, reflections, interviews, and English essays collected from an English argumentative writing class at a Chinese university. When the students were exposed to drama-based pedagogy and linguistic support, they reported that their anxiety reduction was a context-sensitive process, which involved the interaction of diverse contextual factors, for example, the instructor’s constant mediation and students’ ongoing adjustments. In addition, the students’ exposure to drama-based pedagogy during writing planning created a comfortable environment for the students to reduce their anxiety about gaining the topic knowledge needed for their writing. The students also felt that the linguistic guidance, which unpacked the interaction between language and content, served as an emotional buttress for their engagement in their writing practice. The study concluded that the combined use of drama-based pedagogy and linguistic guidance as context-sensitive teaching practices could be helpful for L2 students’ anxiety reduction in the process of preparing and practicing writing.