The Effect Of Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Among Non-English-major College Students

This study investigates the effects of foreign language reading anxiety on reading performance and explores the relationship between foreign language reading anxiety and readers' specific demographic variables like gender and year of learning English etc..The major purposes of this study include: first, to explore the relationship between reading anxiety and general foreign language learning anxiety; second, to produce information concerning the relationships between reading anxiety and reading performance; third, to find the main factors leading to reading anxiety and influencing reading performance; fourth, to examine the impact of specific demographic variables like gender and year of learning English etc. on reading anxiety and reading performance; and fifth, to discuss implications for current English teaching and learning and work out corresponding countermeasures.The subjects of this study are 473 non-English major sophomores in China University of Geosciences (Beijing). Data for the study were collected by using questionnaires including the Chinese version of Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale (FLRAS) and Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) and reading comprehension tests of CET-4. With the help of SPSS 12.0, descriptive statistics, comparison of means, Pearson correlation analysis, independent sample T-Test and reliable analysis were computed with the target samples.The analysis of the data indicates that foreign language reading anxiety is related to, yet distinct from general foreign language learning anxiety, and foreign language reading anxiety has a significantly negative correlation with reading performance. The findings suggest that unfamiliar script system and unfamiliar cultural material are two main influential components of foreign language reading anxiety to interact with college students' reading performance. With regard to background variables, there is a significant correlation between gender and reading anxiety. Male students are more anxious than female students when reading, but no correlation is found between year of learning English and foreign language reading anxiety. In addition, the students reading for examination and career tend to have a much higher level of reading anxiety than those reading for interest and leisure, and the students who are satisfied with their...