From School to EMI: Investigating the Causes and Consequences of Writing Anxiety in First-Year Students at an EMI University in Kazakhstan

Abstract

From School to EMI: Investigating the Causes and Consequences of Writing Anxiety in First-Year University Students in Kazakhstan English-medium instruction (EMI) has expanded rapidly across non-English-speaking contexts, requiring students to engage with academic content and produce written work in English. Among the core academic skills, writing is particularly demanding, as it requires not only linguistic competence but also the ability to meet discipline-specific academic expectations. While research on foreign language writing anxiety (FLWA) has grown, limited attention has been paid to first-year students in Kazakhstan transitioning from Kazakh- or Russian-medium schooling into EMI universities. Particularly, little is known about how these students experience FLWA and manage it in their initial academic adjustment. To address this gap, this qualitative study adopts Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), informed by Bandura’s (1977) Self-Efficacy Theory, to explore first-year students’ lived experiences of FLWA in a flagship EMI university in Kazakhstan. The study was guided by four research questions examining students’ experiences of writing anxiety, its contributing factors, perceived consequences, and coping strategies. Data from six participants were collected through semi-structured interviews (n=6) and analysed thematically to identify patterns of meaning across participants. The findings show that FLWA is a dynamic and process-oriented experience, often emerging at the initial stages of writing and shaped by uncertainty about academic expectations, difficulty generating ideas, language-related concerns, and time pressure. FLWA influenced students’ confidence, participation, and engagement with academic tasks, frequently leading to avoidance behaviors. At the same time, students actively employed coping strategies, including seeking social support, using digital tools, and applying self-regulation techniques. Situated within the context of a highly selective EMI university in Central Asia, the study demonstrates how FLWA is shaped not only by language proficiency but also by heightened academic expectations and the transition into an English-dominant learning environment. These findings contribute to EMI research by offering a context-sensitive understanding of FLWA and highlight and underscores the importance of supporting both students’ writing skills and their confidence in academic settings. Keywords: foreign language writing anxiety (FLWA), English-medium instruction (EMI), first-year undergraduate students, interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA), Self-Efficacy theory, Kazakhstan