The African Symposium: An online journal of the African Educational Research Network 46 Volume 12, No. 1, June 2012 The African Symposium (ISSN# TX 6-342-323) WRITING APPREHENSION AND NIGERIAN UNDERGRADUATES’ INTEREST IN DISSERTATION’S WRITING: THE MODERATOR EFFECTS OF SELF- EFFICACY, EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND ACADEMIC OPTIMISM Kolawole Olanrewaju AYODELE Babcock University Temidayo AKINLANA Olabisi Onabanjo University Abstract This study investigated the relationship between writing apprehension and undergraduates’ interest in dissertation writing and the moderator effects of self-efficacy, emotional intelligence, and academic optimism. 2400 Undergraduates were randomly selected from four universities (2 public and 2 private universities) in Ogun State, Nigeria. They were made up of 1001 males (41.71%) and 1399 females (58.29%). Five instruments were used for collection of data: General self-efficacy Scale; Writing Apprehension Test (WAT); Almost Perfect Scale - Revised (APSR); Emotional Intelligence Scale (EIS); and Students’ Interest in Research (SIR). Collected data were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression. Results showed that writing apprehension divergently correlated with undergraduates’ interest in dissertation writing. Self-efficacy, emotional intelligence, and academic optimism correlated significantly with undergraduates’ interest in dissertation writing and moderated writing apprehension – interest in dissertation writing nexus. The results suggest the need for enhanced academic environment that will foster students’ self-efficacy level, emotional intelligence and improved service quality. KEYWORDS: Writing apprehension, undergraduates, interest in dissertation writing, self- efficacy, emotional intelligence, and academic optimism. Introduction One of the main goals of university education is to develop scholars with good academic writing skills. Therefore, university education requires students to engage actively in academic writing practices. Students are expected not only to satisfy the degree completion requirements by writing course assignments and a dissertation, but they are also expected to practice in their contribution to their discipline by writing professional and publishable products (Kamler & Thomson, 2006). Zamel (1983) cited by Ibrahim & Noor (2011) describes the process of writing as nonlinear, exploratory, and generative whereby writers discover and generate ideas as they attempt to approximate meaning. The process of writing involves sub-processes of planning, collecting data, drafting, revising, rewriting and editing. These sub-processes of writing are dynamic, non-sequential and interactive processes not as sequential stages. However, studies have shown that the ability to present scientific findings in an accurate, informative, coherent and logical manner is a core skill needed by researchers because it dictates success in publishing journal articles, preparing reports, obtaining grant funding and communicating research findings (Lee, Woods, & Tonissen, 2011; Adenuga & Ayodele, 2009). As noted by Quitadamo & Kurtz, (2007), instruction in scientific writing at