An Exploration of Yemeni Student-teachers’ Self- perceptions of themselves as Writers

This study investigates the impressions and self perceptions of a group of Yemeni student teachers about themselves as writers. A total of 208 Yemeni student teachers participated in this study during the second semester of the academic year 2006/2007. The subjects were asked to react to 38 statements of the Writer Self-Perception Scale (WSPS) developed by Bottomley et al. (1997/1998). Analysis of the responses received indicates that the total average of the means for the whole instrument is (3.8) out of the five- point scale with (76.4%). The results show that Yemeni trainee-teachers perceive themselves with an average capability to write effectively. On the other hand, they seem to find it difficult to compare their own writing performance in relation to their peers or to assess the direct and indirect input about their writing derived from their teachers, classmates and family members. The results also indicate that there is no statistically significant difference in the perceptions and views held by the female and male subjects regarding their writing.