A Research On The Correlation Between English Reading Anxiety,Metacognitive Reading Strategies And Reading Performance Of English Major Freshmen From Xinjiang University

As a complicated psychological construct,language anxiety is seen as an affective variable in the foreign language learning process.During the foreign language reading process,anxiety can also be an important filter for learners as learners try to comprehend the reading material.Another important variable associated with foreign language reading is the application of metacognitive reading strategies.Since reading anxiety and metacognitive reading strategies are two influential factors on reading performance,it is of significance to study the correlation between them.Previous studies have seldom studied English majors as their research target when analyzing the relationship between reading anxiety,metacognitive reading strategies and reading performance.Reading is an indispensable part of English language learning that English majors need to be immersed in various kinds of reading materials in order to improve their reading proficiency and fully master the language.Moreover,English majors are required to take TEM-4 in their second year of university and TEM-8 in their senior year.Therefore,it is vital to analyze the status quo of their English reading anxiety level and application of metacognitive reading strategies to facilitate their reading performance and help them reduce their reading anxiety.Taking 68 English major freshmen from Xinjiang University as its subject,the present study aims at investigating the correlation between English reading anxiety,metacognitive reading strategy application and reading performance.This thesis applies quantitative method and SPSS 19.0 is used to analyze the related data.The major findings of the study are as follows.Firstly,there exists a negative correlation between reading anxiety and metacognitive reading strategies;the correlation between reading anxiety and reading performance is also negative;metacognitive reading strategies and reading performance of the participants have a positive correlation.Secondly,the anxiety level of English major freshmen from Xinjiang University is ofmedium level.And the reading anxiety level of females is higher than males.Thirdly,when it comes to the application of metacognitive strategies,the mean value is 3.83,being higher than the middle level three.Besides,males applied metacognitive reading strategy more frequently than females.Fourthly,reading performance score of the participants is 5.10 out of the full mark 10,indicating that participants' proficiency level is also on the average.Males also performed better than females.The result of the research will be helpful for enriching the related research.It is also illuminating for teachers and students in Xinjiang University in understanding the status quo of their English reading with some pedagogical implications.