The relationship between middle school student?s writing apprehension and blocking with their written expression skills

This research in which relational survey method was used tries to determine writing apprehension and blocking levels of middle schools students (6, 7, 8. grade) according to various variables and to reveal the relationship of writing apprehension and blocking with written expressions of the students.Population of the research comprises of middle school students in central districts (Altındağ, Çankaya, Etimesgut, Gölbaşı, Keçiören, Mamak, Sincan ve Yenimahalle) of Ankara in 2008-2009 academic year. Since the whole population could not be reached, 450 students studying in low, average and high socio-economic (Mamak, Yenimahalle, Çankaya) environments were chosen as sample.Writing Apprehension Test developed by Daly and Miller (1975) was adapted to Turkish and used in this research in order to determine writing apprehensions? of middle school students. According to the results of factor analysis made via pilot study data following the adaptation study, it was determined that Writing Apprehension Test is made up of four factors which can be named as appreciation, prejudice, evaluation apprehension, sharing what one writes explaining 53 % of the total variance.Items of Writer?s Block Questionnaire developed by Rose (1981) that measure the blocking were adapted to Turkish and they were used through adding another item to them, with the aim of writer?s block. According to the results of factor analysis made via pilot study data, it was found that blocking items comprises of one factor explaining 43% of the total variance.Students were given various subjects; and each student was asked to choose one of these subjects and write a composition, in order to determine written expression successes of the students. These compositions were evaluated by three raters via Written Expression Evaluation Form existing in Primary Education (Middle School) Turkish Course 6th, 7th and 8th Grades Curriculum (2006).Holistic Coherence Scale developed by Bamberg (1984) was adapted to Turkish and used so as to determine coherence level of written expressions of the students.Data obtained from scales and compositions were analyzed using SPSS 11.5 package.The present research findings about writing apprehension are as follows: A significant part of middle school students has low level of writing apprehension (45,5 %). More than half of the students have average level of writing apprehension. The number of students with high level of writing apprehension is few (2,2%). Females find more pleasure in writing, and males have higher level of writing apprehension compared to the females. Writing apprehension of students increases as the class level increases. It was found that writing apprehension decreases as written expression and Turkish course success increase. Writing apprehension of students having regular newspaper and journal in their houses is low. It was determined that writing apprehensions of students keeping a diary are low.The present research findings about blocking are as follows: 5 % of middle school students frequently experience writer?s block while doing written expression practices. A significant part of the students (60 %) goes through writer?s block, though from time to time. It was determined that writer?s block decreases as written expression and Turkish course success increase. It was determined that there is a weak but positive and significant relationship between text coherency and blocking. Students having regular journals in their houses have less writer?s block.It was determined that there is an average, positive and statistically significant relationship between writing apprehension and writer?s block. It was seen that there is a positive and statistically significant but low relationship between writing apprehension and writer?s block and form, content and voice, mechanics.