The Impact of Anxiety on EFL Learners’ Essay Writing The Case of Third Year EFL LMD Students at Mohamed Kheider University of Biskra

Abstract

Abstract Writing in a foreign language is one of the most challenging and complex tasks for language learners. It is a difficult skill that requires considerable efforts, and practice on the learners’ part to reach an acceptable level of writing. Due to the complexity of this skill, many students face anxiety while writing essays. Accordingly, the present research aims at investigating the impact of language anxiety and examining the effects of anxiety on EFL writing essays. In addition, it seeks to determine the strategies used by teachers to lower students’ anxiety. In order to check the validity of the hypothesis that stipulate if third year students of English read books, novels, articles, and practice the writing skill, their written production will improve, and their anxiety will decrease. Furthermore, the students’ deficiency while using the writing stages will decrease. To confirm this hypothesis, a descriptive study has been conducted and questionnaires were used as data gathering instruments. The questionnaires were administered to both teachers and students at the division of English at Mohamed Kheider University – Biskra. Also, the results of this investigation have confirmed that students are in need to deal more with the English language, and thus through the reading and writing skills. Moreover, making third year students aware of the different processes of writing will help them to overcome, the difficulties they face when they write, and will be able to produce well written compositions, and lower their anxiety consequently.