A Study On The Correlation Between English Reading Self-efficacy And Reading Performance Of Senior High School Students

Since self-efficacy was proposed by Bandura in the 1970 s,research has been conducted in clinical,social,and personality psychology.In recent years,more and more studies on self-efficacy focused on language learning fields.Reading is an important skill in English learning and takes up a large proportion in college entrance examination,so improving senior high school students’ reading performance is of great significance.Among the factors that influence English reading performance,selfefficacy cannot be ignored.However,there were not many studies on the relationship between English reading self-efficacy and reading performance of senior high school students.Therefore,the correlation between English reading self-efficacy and reading performance of senior high school students deserves to be explored.This study takes 186 senior high school students as research subjects and combines quantitative and qualitative methods to explore the following questions:（1）What is the current level of English reading self-efficacy and reading performance of senior high school students?（2）What is the correlation between English reading self-efficacy and reading performance of senior high school students?（3）What is the difference of English reading self-efficacy between high and low score groups?With research instruments including English reading self-efficacy questionnaire,English reading comprehension test and interview,data collection and data analysis are conducted in this study.The results are as follows: Firstly,senior high school students’ English reading self-efficacy is in medium level.Among the three dimensions,effort factor is in high level,while capacity factor and sense facing challenge and frustration factor are both in medium level.Besides,the current level of senior high school students’ reading performance is moderate.Secondly,there is positive correlation between senior high school students’ English reading self-efficacy and reading performance.Specifically,the three dimensions of English reading self-efficacy are all positively correlated with students’ English reading performance in medium level.English reading self-efficacy is a predictor of reading performance.Thirdly,there is significant difference in English reading self-efficacy between high and low score groups.Each dimension of English reading self-efficacy of students in high score group is significantly higher than that of students in low score group.Based on the results,some pedagogical implications are provided.To improve students’ English reading self-efficacy and English reading performance,teachers should firstly set proper goals and tasks for students.Secondly,appropriate examples should be set to provide vicarious experience for students.Besides,verbal persuasion and positive affective states are also of vital importance to improve students’ English reading self-efficacy.