Data were obtained from 311 teachers in order to sample a wide domain of attitudes toward writing instruction and writing anxiety. The subjects' responses were organized along four attitudinal dimensions: (1) the importance of standard English in writing instruction (SE), (2) the importance of defining and evaluating writing tasks (DE), (3) the importance of student self-expression in writing instruction (SEx), and (4) the importance of linguistic maturity in writing instruction (LM). The positive correlations between DE and both LM and SEx, coupled with the negative correlations between DE and both LM and SEx suggested that the four scales fell into two subgroups that identified discrete teacher characteristics. Teachers who scored high in the SE/DE subgroup agreed strongly with items concerning correctness, usage, and forms; and they viewed evaluation as a means of assuring adherence to these items. In contrast, teachers who scored high in the LM/SEx subgroup agreed strongly with items emphasizing the importance of experience, exploration, personal relationships, and individual development. These two subgroups bear a direct relationship to Barry Kroll's designations of writing instructors as interventionists and maturationists, designations that correspond to the competing theories of nature versus nurture in human development. (RL)