“It’s Less Scary Now”: Undergraduate Students’ Experiences and the Development of Writing Self-Efficacy in a Writing-Intensive Course

Writing-intensive courses help undergraduate students develop disciplinary knowledge and communication skills, yet many students, particularly first-generation college students and those writing in a second language, enter these courses with low confidence and high writing anxiety. Writing self-efficacy, or students’ beliefs about their ability to succeed as writers, is associated with motivation and academic success, but less is known about how instructional practices shape its development. This qualitative study examined how students experienced instructional practices in a writing-intensive public health course and how these experiences influenced writing self-efficacy. Data were collected through a focus group with six undergraduate students and analyzed using a deductive thematic approach guided by Bandura’s four sources of self-efficacy. Students identified scaffolded assignments, opportunities for revision, and explanatory feedback as key facilitators of writing self-efficacy. Supportive classroom relationships, including proactive instructor outreach and consistent feedback, also appeared to foster confidence. Barriers included linguistic challenges, limited academic role models, and negative experiences with writing support services. These findings suggest writing self-efficacy may develop through the interaction of structured instructional practices and supportive classroom environments.