Writing Apprehension Test (WAT)

Directions: Below are twenty statements that people sometimes make about themselves. Please indicate whether or not you believe each statement applies to you by marking whether you: Strongly Disagree = 1; Disagree = 2; are Neutral = 3; Agree = 4; Strongly Agree = 5

_____1. I avoid writing.
_____2. I have no fear of my writing being evaluated.
_____3. I look forward to writing down my ideas.
_____4. My mind seems to go blank when I start to work on a composition.
_____5. Expressing ideas through writing seems to be a waste of time.
_____6. I would enjoy submitting my writing to magazines for evaluation and publication.
_____7. I like to write my ideas down.
_____8. I feel confident in my ability to clearly express my ideas in writing.
_____9. I like to have my friends read what I have written.
_____10. I am nervous about writing.
_____11. People seem to enjoy what I write.
_____12. I enjoy writing.
_____13. I never seem to be able to clearly write down my ideas.
_____14. Writing is a lot of fun.
_____15. I like seeing my thoughts on paper.
_____16. Discussing my writing with others is an enjoyable experience.
_____17. It is easy for me to write good compositions.
_____18. I don't think I write as well as most other people do.
_____19. I don't like my compositions to be evaluated.
_____20. I am no good at writing.


Scoring: To determine your score on the WAT, complete the following steps:

Step 1. Add scores for items 1, 4, 5, 10, 13, 18, 19, and 20
Step 2. Add the scores for items 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17
Step 3. Complete the following formula:

WAT = 48 - Total from Step 1 + Total from Step 2

Your score should be between 20 and 100. If your score is below 20 or above 100, you have made a mistake in computing the score.

Source:

Daly, J. A., & Miller, M. D. (1975). The empirical development of an instrument to measure writing apprehension. Research in Teaching of English, 9, 242-249.