A Study Of The Correlation Among Tolerance Of Ambiguity,English Learning Anxiety And Academic Achievement Of Vocational College Non-English Majors

In the process of foreign language learning,there are numerous learning variables that influence the success or failure of language learning.Tolerance of ambiguity which is considered a cognitive factor and anxiety believed to be an affective factor have attracted much attention from researchers both at home and abroad.Many studies have proved that anxiety is an important factor in the process of language learning and successful language learners need proper tolerance of ambiguity.However the scholars either study the influence of tolerance of ambiguity or the effect of anxiety in foreign language learning,but few studies combine the two factors together.English learning is a difficult process,therefore it is a necessary to pay attention to the two factors.The thesis mainly focuses on the correlation between tolerance of ambiguity,foreign language learning anxiety and English achievement.238 freshmen who are non-English majors from a vocational college in Kunming are selected for the research.This study adopts quantitative and qualitative research methods.The research instruments consist of two questionnaires and interview.The students in vocational college are required to pass Practical English Test for Colleges,so their English achievement used for the study is of good reliability.The collected data are analyzed and treated through excel and SPSS 23.0.The results of this study are as follows: 1)The students have a low level of tolerance of ambiguity and a high level of English learning anxiety.2)Male and female students have no difference in TOA and foreign language learning.3)Both,the students with higher level of tolerance of ambiguity and the students with lower level of anxiety have higher English achievement.4)A significant negative correlation exists between tolerance of ambiguity and English learning anxiety.In other words,the high level of tolerance of ambiguity the students possess,the low level of foreign language learning anxiety they are.There also exist a positive relation between tolerance of ambiguity and English achievement and a negative relation between anxiety and English achievement.According to the main findings of this study,there are some suggestions for English teaching in vocational colleges.1)In English teaching,teachers should understand the factors affecting students’ academic performance,besides knowledge they should pay more attention to students’ emotional factors.2)Teachers should have a detailed understanding of each student’s level of tolerance of ambiguity and foreign language learning anxiety,meanwhile they should adjust the teaching plan appropriately to improve students’ level of tolerance of ambiguity and reduce the level of foreign language learning anxiety.3)In the process of language learning,it is of vital importance for students to be aware of the existence of ambiguity.In order to improve English learning,students should try their best to improve their tolerance of ambiguity and reduce the level of language learning anxiety.Although the study has some limitations,the research results are of certain practical significance.At the same time,it is expected that more scholars will contribute more valuable research results and continuously enrich this study.