Correlations Among Anxiety, Strategy And Achievement Of English Reading In Junior High School Students

In order to enhance English reading teaching and learning, a lot of researchers have done numerous studies on students’level of reading anxiety, reading strategies use and training. However, A few researchers studied the relationship between English reading anxiety, reading strategies and reading performance among college students, and there is not study concerning with junior high school students. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is to survey the relationship between junior high school students’English reading anxiety, reading strategies and their reading performance, find the anxiety sources and offer some useful suggestions for better English reading teaching and learning.We investigated one hundred and twenty-one junior high school students from Feng Ming Junior High School in Jin Cheng City. In order to get a general idea of their state of reading anxiety and reading strategies use, we carried out both quantitative and qualitative studies with two questionnaires:the revised version of Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale and the revised version of English Reading Strategy Scale for junior high school students. Based on Descriptive Statistics, Independent T-test, Pearson Correlation Analysis and an interview serving as a supplement, we draw the following conclusions:First of all, we find that junior high school students suffered certain levels of anxiety. Male students have higher level of English reading anxiety than female students.Secondly, junior high school students use more metacognitive strategies and cognitive strategies in English reading. Besides, students of Grade Nine use more reading strategies than students of Grade Eight.Finally, as for junior high school students, English reading anxiety is negatively correlated with English reading performance. There is a positive correlation between English reading strategies and English reading performance. Besides, English reading anxiety is negatively correlated with English reading strategies.The findings suggest that high school students are lack of the vocabulary, English learning motivation and lack of knowledge of English culture. Junior high school students have certain level of English reading anxiety, and they can not use English reading strategies properly. It is necessary for English teachers to help students build confidence and right motivations. Moreover, English teachers can activate students’prior knowledge and teach students to have a better comprehension of reading passage. Last but not least, verifying strategies are also useful for their English reading.This study objectively reflects the real situation of junior high school students’ English reading anxiety level, their use of English reading strategies, and the relationship between English reading anxiety, English reading strategies and English reading performance. These findings and the implications for English teachers will contribute to reducing students’English reading anxiety and improving their reading efficiency.