Development of Academic Writing Block Scale (AWBS): A Validity and Reliability Study

Year 2022, Volume: 9 Issue: 2, 178 - 198, 01.03.2022

Ersin Gülay , Suat Ungan

https://doi.org/10.17275/per.22.35.9.2

Cited By: 1

Abstract

Academic writing block is a psychology-based writing problem that has a productivity-lowering effect on the publishing process. This study aimed to develop a valid and reliable assessment tool to measure academic writing block. To this end, during the pre-trial and trial applications, academicians were interviewed face to face. The main application was realized through the online form. A pre-reliability test, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and total item correlation were conducted in the trial application. In the main application, reliability test, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and total item correlation were performed for construct validity. After the trial application, it was determined that the scale has a four-factor structure consisting of 23 items. Cronbach Alpha values were calculated to determine the preliminary reliability of the scale. CFA was conducted to test the construct validity of the Academic Writing Block Scale (AWBS). It was observed that the structure with four implicit variables determined in CFA was confirmed by the remaining 18 items in the scale. Besides, the total item correlation was used to test construct validity. Cronbach Alpha values were calculated to determine the reliability of AWBS. According to these values, it can be said that AWBS is a valid and reliable assessment instrument that can be used to measure academic writing block.

Keywords

academic writing;, academic writing block, academic writing block scale, scale development

Supporting Institution

Karadeniz Technical University

Project Number

5436

Thanks

I would like to thank Karadeniz Technical University Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit, which contributed to the production of this study.

References

• Akpınar, F. B. (2007). The effect of process-oriented writing instruction on writer’s block, writing apprehension, attitudes towards writing instruction and writing performance (Unpublished master's thesis). Marmara University, Istanbul.
• Baker, E. M. (1988). Writer’s block and a cognitive process model of composing: recent research and implications for teaching (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Iowa State University, Iowa.
• Basım, N., Çetin, F. & Tabak, A. (2009). The relationship between big five personality characteristics and conflict resolution approaches. Turkish Journal of Psychology, 24(63), 35-37.
• Baştuğ, M. (2015). Effects of primary school fourth-grade students’ attitude, disposition and writer’s block on writing success. Education and Science, 40(180), 73-88. http://egitimvebilim.ted.org.tr/index.php/EB/article/view/4279
• Baştuğ, M., Ertem, İ. S. & Keskin, H. K. (2017). A phenomenological research study on writer’s block: Causes, processes, and results. Education and Training, 59(6), 605-618.
• Birk, L. B. (2013). The sounds of silence: A structural analysis of academic “writer’s block” (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Boston College University, Boston. http://hdl.handle.net/2345/3315
• Boice, R. (1983). Experimental and clinical treatments of writing blocks. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 51(2), 183-191. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.51.2şihnj
• Boice, R. (19 85). Cognitive components of blocking. Written Communication, 33(10), 928-940. https://doi.org/0803973233
• Boice, R. (1990). Professors as writers. Okla: New Forums Press.
• Boice, R. (1993). Writing blocks and tacit knowledge. The Journal of Higher Education, 64(1), 19-54. https://doi.org/10.2307/2959976
• Boice, R. and Jones, F. (1984). Why academicians don’t write. The Journal of Higher Education, 55(5), 567-582.
• Büyüköztürk, Ş. (2002). Factor analysis: Basic concepts and using to development scale. Educational Administration in Theory & Practice, 32, 470-483. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/108451
• Büyüköztürk, Ş. (2018). Sosyal bilimler için veri analizi el kitabı [Handbook of data analysis for social sciences]. Ankara: Pegem Akademi.
• Castillo, M. (2014). Writer’s block. American Journal of Neuroradiology, 35(6), 1043-1044. https://doi.org/10.3174/ajnr.A3729
• Cayton, M. K. (1990). What happens when things go wrong: Women and writing blocks. Journal of Advanced Composition, 10(2), 321-337.
• Daly, J. A. & Miller, M. D. (1975). The empirical development of an instrument to measure writing apprehension. Research in the Teaching of English, 9(3), 242–249. https://doi.org/10.2307/40170632
• Daly, J. A. & Wilson, D. A. (1983). Writing apprehension, self-esteem, and personality. Research in the Teaching of English, 17(4), 327-341.
• Dillman, D. A., Tortora, R. D. & Bowker, D. (1998). Principles for constructing web surveys. Joint Meetings of the American Statistical Association, December, 1-16. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/2465935
• Elton, L. (2010). Academic writing and tacit knowledge. Teaching in Higher Education, 15(2), 151-160. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562511003619979
• Erkuş, A. (2007). Ölçek geliştirme ve uyarlama çalışmalarında karşılaşılan sorunlar [Problems encountered in scale development and adaptation studies]. Türk Psikoloji Bülteni, 13(40).
• Erkuş, A. (2016a). Ölçek geliştirme ve uyarlama çalışmalarındaki sorunlar ile yazım ve değerlendirilmesi [Problems in scale development and adaptation studies, writing and evaluation]. In Ö. Demirel & S. Dinçer (Eds.), Eğitim bilimlerinde yenilikler ve nitelik arayışı [Innovations in educational sciences and the search for qualifications] (p. 1221-1234). Ankara: Pegem Akademi.
• Erkuş, A. (2016b). Psikolojide ölçme ve ölçek geliştirme- I, Temel kavramlar ve işlemler [Measurement and scale development in psychology - I, Basic concepts and operations. Ankara: Pegem Akademi.
• Field, A. (2013). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS. SAGE Publications. https://doi.org/10.1234/12345678
• Gülbahar, Y. & Büyüköztürk, Ş. (2008). Adaptation of assessment preferences inventory to Turkish. Hacettepe University Journal of Education, 35(35), 148-161.
• Hartley, J. (2008). Academic writing and publishing: A practical handbook. Routledge.
• Hartley, J. & Knapper, C. K. (1984). Academics and their writing. Studies in Higher Education, 9(2), 151-167. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075078412331378814
• Hettich, R. (1994). Writing apprehension: A critique. Indiana: Purdue University.
• Huston, P. (1998). Resolving writer’s block. Canadian Famil Physician, 44, 92-97. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2277565/pdf/canfamphys00047-0094.pdf
• Kalaycı, Ş. (2016). SPSS Uygulamalı çok değişkenli istatistik teknikleri [SPSS Applied multivariate statistical techniques]. Ankara: Asil Yayınları.
• Karakaya, İ. & Ülper, H. (2011). Developing a writing anxiety scale and examining writing anxiety based on various variables. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 11(2), 691-708.
• Kline, R. B. (2011). Principles and practices of structural equation modeling. The Guilford Press.
• Knox, K. (2017). Overcoming academic writer’s block in two sentences. https://katelynknox.com/academic-writing/overcoming-academic-writers-block-two-sentences/
• Latta, S. M. (1995). Women and writer’s block: An exploration of social and cultural influences upon the writing processes of five graduate student writers (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Purdue University (UMI Number: 9601526).
• Lowenthal, D. & Wason, P. C. (1981). Academics and their writing. The Times Literary Supplement, 1977, 24 June, p. 781-781. (Reprinted in abridged form in Leonardo, 1981, 14, p. 57.)
• Martineau, D. (2019). Nine ways to deal with academic writer. https://www.usrepresented.com/2019/03/30/nine-ways-to-deal-with-academic-writers-block/
• Miller, K. M. (2010). Stranger than fiction: A study of student perceptions of writer’s block and film in the composition classroom. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation), Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania. http://search.proquest.com/docview/749927758?accountid=16645
• Murray, D. M. (1986). One writer’s secrets. College Composition and Communication, 37(2), 146-153. https://doi.org/10.2307/357513
• Murray, R. (2015). Makale nasıl yazılır [Writing for academic journals] (Şakir Çınkır, Trans.). Ankara: Anı Yayıncılık.
• Petzel, T. & Wenzel, M. (1993). Development and initial evaluation of a measure of writing anxiety. http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED373072
• Poff, S. I. (2004). Regimentation: A predictor of writer’s block and writing apprehension (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Southern California, California. (UMI Number: 3155461). https://vcu-illiad-oclc-org.proxy.library.vcu.edu/illiad/illiadsso/illiad.dll?Action=10&Form=75&Value=862601
• Polat, Y. (2012). Examining factor analysis methods comparatively and applying to animal husbandry trial (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Çukurova University, Adana.
• Rose, M. (1981). Questionnaire for identifying writer’s block. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED236652
• Rose, M. (1984). Writer’s block: The cognitive dimension. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED248527
• Şimşek, Ö. F. (2007). Yapısal eşitlik modellemesine giriş [Introduction to structural equation modeling]. Istanbul: Ekinoks.
• Tabachnick, B. & Fidell, L. (2014). Using multivariate statistics (6. ed). Pearson.
• Tavşancıl, E. (2010). Tutumların ölçülmesi̇ ve SPSS ile veri anali̇zi̇ [Measuring attitudes and data analysis with SPSS]. Ankara: Nobel Yayın Dağıtım.
• Tezbaşaran, A. (2008). Likert tipi ölçek hazirlama kılavuzu [Likert type scale preparation guide]. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/1288035/Likert_Tipi_%C3%96l%C3%A7ek_Haz%C4%B1rlama_K%C4%B1lavuzu
• The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey [TUBITAK]. (2016). Dünya, ülkeler ve gruplar bilimsel yayın sayısı (2010-2015) [World, countries and groups number of scientific publications (2010-2015)]. Retrieved from https://cabim.ulakbim.gov.tr/bibliyometrik-analiz/turkiye-bilimsel-yayin-performans-raporlari/
• The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey [TUBITAK]. (2020). Ülkelerin bilimsel yayın sayısı (2015-2019) [Number of scientific publications in countries (2015-2019)]. Retrieved from https://cabim.ulakbim.gov.tr/bibliyometrik-analiz/
• Tucker, M. T. (1997). Academic women and writer’s block: Mapping the terrain (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMI Number:9737590).
• Yaşar, M. (2014). Developing an attitude scale related to scientific research methods course: validity and reliability. Journal of Educational Sciences Research, 4(2), 109-129.
• Yaşlıoğlu, M. M. (2017). Factor analysis and validity in social sciences: Using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Istanbul University Journal of the School of Business, 46(special issue), 74–85.
• Yıldırım, A. & Şimşek, H. (2011). Qualitative research methods in the social sciences. Ankara: Seçkin Yayıncılık.
• Zorbaz, K. Z. (2010). The relationship between middle school student’s writing apprehension and blocking with their written expression skills (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Gazi University, Ankara.