A Study On Non-English Majors' English Reading Habits

For learners, reading is a critical skill of learning a language. Through reading,learners can not only gain a lot of information and knowledge, but also improve their language abilities. According to the input hypothesis put forward by Krashen in 1985,getting a lot of meaningful comprehensible language input materials is the key factor of capability of second language acquaintance. For learners who take English as the second language, it is through the English reading that they can get a lot of English language input and then produce the language output and improve the English abilities and proficiency. For Chinese students who don't own the language environment of English, reading is the main way for them to improve their English and know English culture and plays the very important role in their language study.However, for English learners in China, because of the heavy homework of different subjects in middle school and the high pressure of passing the College Entrance Examination, because of the lack of the English language surroundings, the effect of their English reading is not as good as we expect.Studies prove that the key to effective reading depends on whether the reader develops the good reading habits or not. Good English reading habits can not only help the learners improve the reading speed, reading efficiency, and their comprehensive language ability to use the language, but also help learners learn to learn, improve their learning efficiency and develop the good habit of lifelong learning. However, the good reading habit needs learners to show the right attitude on reading, to get a lot of reading materials that fit their English proficiency, to use the correct skills and strategies.Based on the reading theories, this study tries to investigate and make a survey on the non-English majors' English reading habits in Wenhua College through the surveys of questionnaire for non-English majors in Wenhua College and interviews both for them and for college English teachers. This study tries to find out the current situations of non-English majors' English reading habits in Wenhua College. What are their thoughts and attitudes toward English reading? What kind of English reading materials do they select? How about their actual English reading behaviors? What about their English reading skills and strategies?Through the investigation and interviews, this study gets the following conclusions:(1) Most non-English majors in Wenhua College were short of right attitude toward English reading.(2) More than half of non-English majors in Wenhua College selected the English reading materials connected with their textbook and different kinds of examinations.(3) Most non-English majors in Wenhua College didn't develop the good reading habits.(4) More than half of non-English majors in Wenhua College lacked the correct reading skills and strategies.According to the conclusions, the author reflects on the problems that prevent non-English majors in Wenhua College developing the good reading habits. Therefore the author puts forward some suggestions to cultivate the non-English majors' English reading habits in Wenhua College. Through this study, the author also hopes that it can help non-English majors' establish good English reading habits and that it can give college English teachers some hints and inspiration.