Breaking Affective Barriers through Expressive Writing: A Case Study of Personal Journaling among Rural EFL Learners

Abstract

Low English proficiency among rural English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learner is often linked to affective factors, including low motivation and language anxiety. This qualitative case study investigated the potential of a 30-day expressive personal journaling program, using a "one day, one story" approach to address these affective barriers and support students' writing confidence. Four lower-achieving secondary students in a rural sub-district were purposively selected as focal participants. Data were collected from the analysis of 120 compiled journal entries and semi-structured interviews. The thematic analysis indicated that the journaling routine helped lower the students' affective filters. Because the journals were private and not graded, students felt safer to write without the fear of negative evaluation. The data also showed a gradual improvement in writing fluency and vocabulary retrieval, as students shifted from writing isolated words to producing simple, connected sentences. While the findings are contextualized within this specific case, this study suggests that addressing student anxiety and motivation before focusing on grammatical accuracy can help low-achieving EFL learners minimize their writing difficulties in low-resource environments.