Writing Teacher Anxiety- a Pilot Study

Although previous studies have clarified the general characteristics and manifestations of teaching anxiety and established the need for more effective teacher preparation programs, most do not reflect the practices or concerns of college-level writing instructors or indicate how or why they experience anxiety. This study, therefore, examines how the rhetorical and situational elements of writing instruction contribute to teaching anxiety and to what extent composition instructors attempt to resolve or minimize the effects of potential triggers and symptoms, thereby addressing these questions: -What work-related factors trigger teaching anxiety? -What personal characteristics predispose some composition instructors to anxiety? -How do composition instructors respond to and/or cope with bouts of anxiety? -Finally, how might faculty mentoring programs (such as teaching groups) be used to both identify and alleviate factors that cause or exacerbate anxiety? This book is directed towards new and experienced composition instructors (including graduate teaching assistants), writing program administrators, and researchers in Composition Studies and Rhetoric.