A Study Of The Relationship Between Critical Thinking Disposition And English Reading Achievement Of Senior High School Students

English reading is not only the main source for learners to acquire cultural knowledge of English language,but also an important way to improve their comprehensive competencies to use language.Research shows that cultivating learners’critical thinking can improve their English reading level.However,teachers of English reading teaching in senior high schools do not pay enough attention to the cultivation of learners’critical thinking,and there is a lack of research on the correlation between students’critical thinking disposition and their English reading achievements.Therefore,this study carried out an empirical study on critical thinking disposition of senior high school students,aiming to explore the impact of senior high school students’critical thinking disposition on English reading achievement.Based on the questionnaire survey and literature research,this study investigates 163senior high school students in a middle school in Zhangzhou,using the Critical Thinking Disposition Questionnaire and English Reading Test as research tools,and aims to explore the following two questions:（1）What is the overall status of critical thinking disposition of senior high school students?（2）Is there any correlation between senior high school students’critical thinking disposition and their English reading achievements?Through investigation and data analysis,the following results indicate that:（1）The critical thinking disposition of senior high school students is at a negative level（m=3.3355<4）.Among them,the scores of eight dimensions of critical thinking disposition from high to low are inquisitiveness,analyticity,self-confidence,justice-orientedness,systematicity,truth-seeking,open-mindedness,cognitive maturity.（2）There is a positive correlation between senior high school students’critical thinking disposition and English reading achievements（r=0.554**）.Among the eight dimensions,analyticity（r=0.453**）,inquisitiveness（r=0.519**）,systematicity（r=0.250**）,self-confidence（r=0.495**）,truth-seeking（r=0.189*）,open-mindedness（r=0.241**）and justice-orientedness（r=0.412**）are all positively correlated with English reading achievements,while there was no significant correlation between cognitive maturity（r=0.093）and English reading achievements.In addition,the results of univariate regression and multiple regression analysis show that senior high school students’critical thinking disposition has a positive effect on their English reading achievements（=-14.159+0.214）,which can predict 30.7%of English reading scores.Meanwhile,inquisitiveness and self-confidence are significant predictors of English reading achievement（=-1.948+0.480 ₁+0.450 ₂,₁for inquisitiveness;₂for self-confidence）.Finally,there are significant differences between the students with different critical thinking dispositions in the five types of reading comprehension,such as specific information,reasoning judgment,writing intention,word meaning guess and main idea,and the scores of the students with high level critical thinking disposition are higher than those with low level critical thinking disposition.Based on the above research results,the author puts forward some feasible suggestions from the aspects of thinking stimulation and strategy training,hoping to arouse the attention of teachers and students to critical thinking,and stimulate students’critical thinking,so as to improve English reading level of senior high school students and cultivate their good thinking quality.