Thinking Styles in First-Year Writing Course as Predictors of Writing Apprehension and Media Literacy

Abstract

Writing apprehension is highly pervasive among students, and especially so among undergraduates. Meanwhile, most learners in the 21st century are very familiar with smart educational environments and the use of smart devices therein. Media literacy, referring to the ability to acquire and judge information using smart devices and produce new information, has become one of the individual-difference variables. A ‘style,’ one of the important individual-difference variables in human performance, is a preferred way of using one’s abilities (i.e., thinking styles). This research examined the role of thinking styles in a freshman writing course in Korea as predictors of writing apprehension and media literacy. To investigate the relationships among thinking styles, writing apprehension, and media literacy, first, the relationships among thinking styles, writing apprehension and media literacy were investigated. Second, the effects of thinking styles on writing apprehension and media literacy were explored. 358 freshmen from one university in Korea responded to a survey based on a three-variable scale. Significant correlations between thinking styles and the sub-factors of two variables were identified after controlling for gender. Three of the Type I thinking styles along with one of the Type II styles and two of the Type III styles predicted writing apprehension. Meanwhile, three of the Type I thinking styles and one of the Type III styles predicted media literacy. It is evident that thinking styles have an important effect on both writing apprehension and media literacy. To bring about enhancement of students’ writing ability and engagement in class, ways of varying teaching and assessment methods in consideration of learners’ thinking styles or of deriving more appropriate scaffolding strategies relevant to thinking styles need to be considered further and applied in writing classes.