Does Anxiety Affect Written Communication? A study of Engineering Students in Indian Context
Sunanda Mahesh Shinde
School of Liberal Arts, Sanjay Ghodawat University, Kolhapur, Maharashtra,
Tripti Karekatti
Dept. of English, Shivaji University, Kolhapur, Maharashtra
Keywords: Written Communication Strategies, Anxiety, Engineering students
Abstract
This research paper aims to identify types of written communication strategies (CSs) used and frequency of using them by engineering students with high and low level of anxiety. The data on students’ anxiety level was collected by using Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) designed by Horwitz & Cope et. al. (1986). Three written tasks (letter writing, email writing, report writing) were given to select subjects of the study. Their responses were collected on plain papers. By using an advanced cell phone with strong audio recorder, students’ retrospective interviews were audio recorded. To analyze the data taxonomy on communication strategies was adapted from the taxonomies of Arndt (1987), Wenden (1991), Victori (1995), Riazi (1997), and Saski (2000).
Results showed that high anxious students used planning, re-reading, revising, literal translation, word coinage, circumlocution, paraphrase, generalization and getting help; rehearsing and resourcing were used more by low anxious students. Repetition and using similar words were used equally by both high and low anxious students.
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