A Study On The Correlation Between Tolerance Of Ambiguity And English Learning Strategies Of Grade Two Senior High School Students

With the development of second language teaching and research,the focus of research has gradually shifted from improving English teaching methods to exploring the individual differences of English learners.In 2017,the English curriculum standards for ordinary senior high schools issued by the ministry of education clearly pointed out that teachers should help students develop and use English learning strategies,and the tolerance of ambiguity is a key factor affecting the selection and application of learning strategies.At present,most of the researches on the relationship between tolerance of ambiguity and English learning strategies take English majors and non-English majors as research subjects,but few take senior high school students into consideration.Based on Krashen's Affective Filter Hypothesis and Individual Learner Difference Theory,the thesis investigated 155 grade two students of No.3 senior high school in Yining City.It mainly adopts the questionnaire survey method,altogether uses two sets of questionnaires.Firstly,the tolerance of ambiguity scale of Ely(1989)is used to investigate the level of tolerance of ambiguity of senior two students in English learning.Secondly,the learning strategy questionnaire designed by Oxford(1990)is used to investigate the overall situation of senior two students' use of learning strategies.The key research questions of this thesis are as follows:1.what is the current situation of TOA level and application of English learning strategies of grade two students of No.3 senior high school in Yining City?2.Is there a correlation between the tolerance of ambiguity and English learning strategies? If so,what is the correlation?3.What are the differences in terms of application of English learning strategies between students with high and low tolerance of ambiguity?The results show that: first,the overall level tolerance of ambiguity and frequency of English learning strategies used by the grade two students of No.3 senior high school in Yining City are low.In the six dimensions of Oxford learning strategy questionnaire which includes six learning strategies,the least used strategy is social strategy,the most widely used is compensation strategy.Second,there is a significant positive correlation between students' tolerance of ambiguity and application of English learning strategies.The higher tolerance of ambiguity is,the more frequently strategies are used.Third,there are significant differences in the use of English learning strategies between students with high and low TOA.Both of them tend to use compensation strategy and memory strategy,but students with high TOA aremore flexible in choosing and using these two strategies,especially compensation strategy.Students with low TOA seldom use metacognitive strategy and social strategy.Based on the above-mentioned analysis,the following teaching implications can be concluded: teachers should improve students' tolerance of ambiguity,and help students find their own English learning strategies according to the level of students' tolerance of ambiguity,and carry out targeted training.For students,improving their own tolerance of ambiguity in English learning is also helpful for the correct use of learning strategies,and the frequency and rationality of the use of learning strategies are directly related to their performance.All in all,both teachers and students should realize the relationship between tolerance of ambiguity and English learning strategies,so as to take effective measures to improve students' learning performance.The best teaching and learning results can be achieved only when teachers and students work together well.