The Relationship between EFL Learners’ Anxiety and Writing Complexity

Abstract The present study was an attempt to investigate the relationship between EFL learners’ anxiety and writing complexity. For the purpose of the study, 70 female learners, between 17 and 24 years old (mean=20) from Najm language school in Tehran participated in the study. The participants’ level of anxiety was measured using Horwitz, Horwitz, and Cope’s Anxiety Questionnaire (1986) and their writing complexity was measured through writing a narrative text based on their course book. The results revealed that there was a significant positive correlation between anxiety and writing complexity (p=.00). In addition, the results of examining the predictability of writing complexity by anxiety showed that anxiety significantly predicted writing complexity (F(1, 68)=16.67, p<.01). The results of this study have implications for students, teachers, and all those involved in the area of teaching and learning.