Repurposing the Wug Test: Does It Predict Second-Language Learners' Writing Anxiety and Performance?

Authors

  • Maura A. E. Pilotti

    Cognitive Science Research Center, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, P.O. Box 1664, Al Khobar 31952, Saudi Arabia
  • Omar El-Moussa

    Student Affairs, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, P.O. Box 1664, Al Khobar 31952, Saudi Arabia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i12.11813
Received: 26 August 2025 | Revised: 15 Septmber 2025 | Accepted: 19 Septmber 2025 | Published Online: 5 December 2025

Abstract

Morphological knowledge is an important building block of second-language learners' writing ability. The present research aimed to determine whether the materials of a simple tool for probing awareness of morphological knowledge — the Wug test — can be used in a novel manner and for a novel purpose. Namely, it asked whether these materials can be co-opted to predict second-language learners' (a) writing anxiety, (b) fluency of writing processes (e.g., the number of words and sentences written per minute in response to a prompt), and (c) writing quality (as indexed by word type, sentence complexity, and coherence). Participants were Arabic-English bilingual speakers enrolled in an English written communication course that demarcated their transition to college. In this research, as Wug test performance increased, writing anxiety decreased, suggesting that morphological competence is a key aspect of learners' comfort with foreign language writing. Wug test performance also predicted learners’ greater vocabulary competence (as reflected in their reliance on low-frequency words) and writing fluency (as indexed by the length of text written under time constraints). However, it did not predict sentence-level properties of their writing, such as sentence complexity and cohesion. These findings suggest that the Wug test is a useful, albeit limited, tool for identifying second-language learners' basic difficulties in writing, including word-level competence and affective factors.

Keywords:

Wug Test; Second-language Learning; Writing; Bilingual Speakers; Morphological Awareness

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Pilotti, M. A. E., & El-Moussa , O. (2025). Repurposing the Wug Test: Does It Predict Second-Language Learners’ Writing Anxiety and Performance?. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 7(12), 1733–1746. https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i12.11813

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Vol. 7 , Iss. 12 (December 2025): In progress

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