The results of this study suggest that increasing the number of writing assignments as a mechanism to increase writing performance may actually solidify the negative perceptions and abilities of the less than adequate writer. Analysis of accounting seniors’ writing apprehension (WA), a phenomenon linked in the literature to writing performance, provides evidence to this suggestion.
This study extends the research of accounting majors’ WA by focusing on accounting seniors. This study also extends previous research by analyzing the relationships of accounting seniors’ WA to additional writing assignments in the accounting curriculum and to grades earned in the business writing course.
Data on 221 students in an upper division accounting information systems course was analyzed to determine the relationships of WA to additional writing assignments in an accounting curriculum and the business writing course. These relationships were determined with the pearson’s correlation coefficient, analysis of variance, chi-square and the binomial proportion tests.
The results reveal a significant relationship between WA and grades earned in the Business Writing course. The results do not support additional writing assignments (without specific writing instruction) as a method to affect WA levels, and indirectly writing performance, for accounting students with high WA.

KEYWORDS: Accounting education, Business Education, Writing Apprehension, Written Communication