摘要：The effect of a three-dimensional writing anxiety on writing performance in higher education is meagre. The purpose of this quantitative study is three folds: to analyze a) whether avoidance behavior, somatic anxiety and cognitive anxiety are the three dimensions of writing anxiety; b) the effect of writing anxiety on a test-based writing performance; and c) whether the effect of writing anxiety on writing performance differs in public and private sector universities. A usable sample of 412 responses is drawn from students of three undergraduate degree programs from private and public sector universities of Karachi, Pakistan. Hypotheses are tested using the partial least square method. The results show that avoidance behavior, somatic anxiety and cognitive anxiety are the three significant dimensions of writing anxiety which in turn, has a significant negative effect on learner’s writing performance. Moreover, the negative effect has been found consistent in private and public universities. This study substantiates the English language literature by arguing that foreign language writing anxiety is a three-dimensional construct that inhibits ESL/EFL writing performance. Therefore, the policy makers in higher education institutions should craft and timely execute cost-effective and useful courses of action to mitigate the level of writing anxiety of a foreign language to improve the learner’s writing performance.
