A Study on the Relationship among Senior High School English Learners’ Prefabricated Chunks, Writing Anxiety and Writing Achievements

Abstract

English writing can be affected by students’ affective factors and their prefabricated chunks. Recently, many researchers have studied the relationship between writing anxiety and English writing achievements, prefabricated chunks and writing anxiety, and prefabricated chunks and English writing achievements. However, there are few studies on the relationship among these three variables. This research aims to answer the following questions: 1. What is the current situation of senior high English learners’ prefabricated chunks, writing anxiety and writing achievements? 2. What are the correlations among their prefabricated chunks, writing anxiety and writing achievements? 3. Does writing anxiety play a mediating role between prefabricated chunks and writing achievements? If so, to what extent? Based on the affective filter hypothesis and prefabricated chunks theory, this study chose 174 senior high English learners to complete the English writing anxiety questionnaire and a mid-term test. The results show that: 1. Senior high English learners’ prefabricated chunks are at a middle level. Their writing anxiety is at a relatively high level. And their writing achievements are at a medium level. 2. There is a negative correlation between prefabricated chunks and writing anxiety, between writing anxiety and writing achievements. And prefabricated chunks and writing achievements are positively correlated with each other. 3.Writing anxiety has a mediating effect between prefabricated chunks and writing achievements. The mediating effect is 9.82%. Finally, some pedagogical suggestions are advanced for the teaching of English writing in senior high schools. And the limitations and some suggestions to the future studies are discussed.