A Study On English Reading Strategies Of Successful And Unsuccessful Learners In Senior High School

Reading has always occupied an important position in English language learning and is an important means for students to learn English.It is also an indispensable tool for people to obtain information.Reading strategies play an important role in improving reading ability.In this study,240 students in Suixi No.2Middle School,Huaibei City,were selected as subjects.The survey is divided into two parts: questionnaire survey and interview.Through the questionnaire,the author tries to find out general and specific situation of English reading strategies used by successful English learners and unsuccessful English learners,and the differences in the use of reading strategies between the two groups.Through interviews,the author analyzes the reasons behind the differences in the use of reading strategies between them.This paper makes an investigation on reading strategies of successful English learners and unsuccessful English learners in senior high school.The main research questions are as follows:(1)What are the differences between successful English learners and unsuccessful English learners in reading strategies in general?(2)What are the differences between successful English learners and unsuccessful English learners in reading strategies in specific reading strategies?(3)What are the reasons for the differences in the use of reading strategies between successful English learners and unsuccessful English learners?The results of the study show that:(1)Successful English learners and unsuccessful English learners use reading strategies at a low level,and there are significant differences in the use of meta-cognitive strategies and cognitive strategies.(2)In meta-cognitive strategies,successful English learners are more likely to direct their attention than unsuccessful English learners.They have better performances in self-monitoring,self-assessment and planning.In cognitive strategies,Successful English learners are better than unsuccessful English learners in association,inference,deduction,classification and grouping.In terms of social affective strategies,the use frequency of both is not high,successful English learners seldom use cooperative strategies,and unsuccessful English learners seldom useclarification and cooperative strategies.The reasons are as follows: first,they have different reading consciousness.Successful English learners have article analysis consciousness.Second,they have different reading habits.Successful English learners have better reading habits.Third,successful English learners are more interested in English.Fourth,the reading motivation is different.The main motivation of successful English learners in English reading is to satisfy their curiosity,to improve their English proficiency and to enlarge their vocabulary.Unsuccessful English learners just want to complete the reading task.Fifth,there is the influence of self-esteem.Unsuccessful English learners do not communicate English reading strategies with each other for fear of losing face.Finally,the researcher provides the following suggestions for the reading strategy teaching of unsuccessful English learners in senior high school: teachers should strengthen the explanation of reading strategy theory to enhance the sense of using reading strategies of unsuccessful English learners.Teachers should persist in long-term reading strategy training in order to cultivate unsuccessful English learners' ability to use reading strategies.Group cooperation among unsuccessful English learners should be adopted to increase their interests in English reading.Teachers should develop extracurricular reading actively in order to gradually change the reading motivation of unsuccessful English learners.Teachers should use various evaluation activities to enhance confidence of unsuccessful English learners in the use of reading strategies.