An Attributional Study Of English Achievement Related To Reading Strategies And Test-taking Skills

Since the 1970s, researchers and language teachers have shifted their focus of study from"how to teach"to"how to learn". So far, most researchers have indicated that there does exist certain relationship between the learning strategies used by the learners and the language level they finally reach. A group of researchers (Anderson, 1991; Cohen, 1997) have identified a number of reading strategies as significantly contributing to this variation in English reading. But they neither point out that the existing correlation between the English reading learning strategies and the English achievement, nor identify which English reading strategy variable was the determinative one among meta-cognitive, cognitive and compensating strategy.Responding to the present situation, this study aims at: (1) investigating the status quo of English reading strategy use by Chinese college non-English majors; (2) discovering the difference in the use of English reading strategies between high score group learners and low score group learners; (3) finding out the relationship between English reading strategy use and English achievement. Hopefully, this study will contribute a bit to the teachers and learners of English with regard to their English teaching and learning.Forty six students of non-English majors (who got more than 533 and less than 424 in CET-4) from grade 3 to grade 4 in Jilin University are chosen as subjects of the study. The subjects are surveyed by a questionnaire concerning English reading learning strategy, the Use of English reading strategy during tests, the use of English reading test-taking skills and English achievement; and two students are singled out and act as typical representatives of high-score(CET-4 score 605)and low-score (CET-4 score 323) learners for interviewing. Data of the questionnaire together with students'scores in CET-4 are collected and were administered by SPSS 13.0 version.Statistical analysis of the collected data yields the following findings: (1) English reading learning strategy and use of English reading strategy during tests are the determinative factors of subjects'English achievements; however, English reading test-taking skills have nothing to do with subjects'English achievements. (2) The use of English reading learning strategies in high score group and low score group varies a lot. (3) Difference of the use of English reading strategy during tests between high score group and low score group do exist. (4) High achievers more frequently employ English reading strategy than low achievers in both learning and test situations. (5) Low score group students more frequently use, more rely on and trust English reading test-taking skills than those of high score group when they take part in an examination. However, those students of high score group have little such inclination. (6) High score group students who are skilled in English reading learning strategy are more apt at employing them in test situation. On the contrast, low score group students are unable to properly use these English reading strategy during tests. (7) All the meta-cognitive, cognitive and compensating types of reading strategies have exerted significant influence on the subjects'English achievement, and the more frequently the strategies are employed, the greater their achievement is. (8) The use of meta-cognitive strategies distinguishes high-achievers and low-achievers dramatically. Students who use meta-cognitive strategies more frequently seem to achieve higher English proficiency level. And some specific meta-cognitive strategies seem play a more determinative role.The findings of the present study are of great importance for EFL teaching and learning in Chinese context. A better understanding of students'English reading learning strategies as well as its relations to English achievement may enable teachers to better motivate students and thus result in more effective English learning.