初三英语阅读焦虑现状调查与对策研究

Chapter One Introduction

1.1 The background information of the research
With the continuous implementation of open-door policy, Chinese people have morecontact with English people in the domestic setting. Our government and the whole nationhave been showing increasing attention to the English, especially English education.Learning English as a foreign language can be an useful tool which helps people improvetheir knowledge, broaden views, enable them to realize their self-value in the life time.However, Learners’ affectivity proves to be the most potential and unavoidable variableaffecting the language learning output. The New English curriculum follows this new trendtherefore emphasizes “students’ affection and the attitude are the key factors in the languagelearning” (Revision, 2011). The three-dimensional objectives also elaborate that “the Englisheducation should develop learners’ knowledge, skills, process, method, emotions, attitudes,and value.” It is the common sense that language learning is a complicated as well aspersistent process. A great number of Chinese students agree with the idea especially in thesecond language acquisition or foreign language learning process. However, numerouslearner variables are likely to affect the learners to produce the final outcomes when thelanguage learning takes place. It is well known that individual learner differences (IDs)mainly result from the cognitive and emotional combination of each learner. So people willlikely to see most “differential success”, and “diverse spread of achievement” as theoutcomes influenced by individual emotional construction, even though the learners are withthe equal intelligence (Stern, 1999; Ellis, 2001). Moreover, Nunan (2001) & Rogers (1983)stressed the whole-person theory should focus individual’s experiences and feelings, whichmeans imparting the knowledge to the learners is not final pedagogical objective, and thelearners’ emotional aspects should not be overlooked in all. “Purely cognitive theories oflearning will be rejected unless a role is assigned to affectivity” (Brown, 2002). Recently,researchers come to attach much importance to affective functions (such as motivation,attitude, and language anxiety) in FL learning (Dai, 2000; Liu, 1996). Anxiety, becomes to bethe main kind of the affective variable investigated since 1940s, and is “the subjective feeling of tension, apprehension, nervousness, and worry associated with an arousal of the autonomicnervous system” (Spielberger, 1983). Scovel (1991) felt that anxiety is a subject worthy ofinvestigation. Then in 1970s, more language learning anxiety oriented works were generatedat that time. The most prominent development in the research of the foreign languagelearning anxiety was proposed by Howritz & Cope (1986). FLLA “was a distinct complex ofself-perceptions, beliefs, feelings, and behaviors related to classroom language learning.”Young (1991), it is the first that foreign language learning anxiety has been treated as aseparate and distinct phenomenon particular to foreign language learning.
Beside, learning to read is becoming an important and demanding skill in life. Theability to read plays great role in individual professional development and the whole nationalquality. However, reading in the English education has not found its own place. It shouldhave been in our great concern in our study.
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1.2 The significance and purpose of the study
1.2.1 The significance of the study
Language learning happens when target language learner gets sufficient amount ofinput-target information. Only by this, the learner will be able to generate some intelligibleoutput after the link of meaningful intake. Krashen poses the individual’s emotional state isadjusted by mechanics of the affective filters, which can help or impede the input information,when language acquisition take place. So to reduce the degree of filter to some extent, andenhance the positive experience in reading, proper countermeasures should be given.
Reading, acting as the main channel of learner obtaining the information, is one of thesignificantly important ways, to spot the needed information, and develop learner’s sense oflanguage. But the reading anxiety may be triggered, when the long and difficulty drills occurin the reading. Sometimes, learners with RA may be disheartened when take RS. And readers’degrees of RA and psychological state and other factors interact all the time. Horwitz (1986),who firstly made attempt at the research of FLA and published the measurement of FLCAS,set a good example for the followers, and gave sources that might arouses FLLA. Latter,Saito (1996) developed the innovatory construction of FLRA, and, opened the era of specificaspects of language reading anxiety.
Positive psychology is a kind of science which promotes to research people’s positivecharacter, strength, positive emotional experience, development of potential of human. It wasestablished by Seligman and other famous researchers. It arouses much attention in nationalfield and its value and merits deserve more people apply this theory to different areasespecially educational practice. Positive psychology calls for look for the positive aspects andtry to avoid the negative emotions, which is the most suitable point we could undertake.
1.2.2 The purpose of the study
By scanning the published versions concerning the foreign language learning, majorityof the researches tend to restrict their view to the foreign language learning anxiety, or tocollege students and senior students, no matter at abroad or home domain. There can be thecritical period for junior middle students learning English reading. They have more greatpotentials to explore, and everything about the language seems interesting and motivating.Thus carrying out the reading anxiety among the junior middle students, who are the beginnerin language, becomes a reasonable and urgent task in China.
Now the author feels the importance and necessity of providing the highly efficientpedagogical suggestions on the base of positive psychology theory, aiming to contribute tolessen learners’ anxious levels. The research questions are thereby brought forth as follows:(1) What is the current real state of RA among grade three students in junior middle school?(2) How about the general relationship between the reading anxiety and the readingproficiency? Is there significant difference existing in RP scores between high-anxiety andlow-anxiety groups?
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Chapter Two Literature Review

This chapter has reviewed pertinent definitions and theories on anxiety and FLRA, andthey will be respectively discussed.
All parts are regarded as essential components in this chapter. The first part offers theshift of theoretical definition from anxiety to FLLA. The second part is to classify the sourcesof foreign language anxiety based on two researchers’ studies. The third part will bring areview of foreign language reading anxiety. Then in the following two parts, three kinds ofreading models and review of reading strategy are respectively displayed. Last but not least,to make the thesis more authoritative, theoretical foundation will be presentedsimultaneously.

2.1 Study on anxiety and foreign language learning anxiety
From wide view of literature, the development of human society clearly outline a factthat disciplines, although function and classified in different fields, they consistentlyinfluence others in their paces of advancing. Given numbers of variables involved inlanguage learning and teaching realm, it is quite natural to see that the theories and findingsof other disciplines have been applied in this realm. So does the study of FL anxiety, whichoriginally generates from biology and psychology studies on anxiety.
2.1.1 Anxiety
For more than a century, anxiety as a most popular affective factor has caught manyresearchers’ attention. Anxiety is one of most worthwhile affective factors which includeattitude, motivation, anxiety, apprehension, empathy, confidence, self-esteem andindividuality (Brown, 2001). Meanwhile, Anxiety is a complex unpleasant psychologicalstate consisting of many variables. It is complex in nature and often impacts the functioningprocess of people neural system. Research literature on this psychological construct has beenincreasing. Part of human experience as it is, it’s of difficulty to define it. Here is themulti-conception in psychological perceptive. Psychologists like Higard and Atkinson (1971),described anxiety as a common psychological reaction. It refers to a complex state of restless,tension, agony, apprehension, and dread etc., which were rooted in overtaking and prolonged threat to self-esteem. People were mentally disordered for incapability to cope with thesituational events and challenge. This unfavorable experience in one’s perception of inabilityoften interferes with people’s behavior. Sigmund Freud states when the id, ego, superego(three components of human psychological constructs) conflict, people will feel threatened,overwhelmed, as if it were about to collapse for the pressure coming from all aspects. Atroubled emotional state of “a vague fear, solicitude, anguish, disturbance of mood,associated with an arousal of the autonomic nervous system” (Spielberger, 1983). Besides,Horiwtz (1986)，Scovel (1991), MaccIntyre & Gardner (1995) claim that “anxiety is thesubjective feeling of tension, self-doubt, mental distress, inhibition, nervousness, and worry.”That can be triggered due to the anticipation of inner or outer, real or imagined potentialpanic attack, and it pervasively obstructs the learners’ acquisition”. Casado (2001) thinks it’sa difficulty task to define anxiety since it concerns an amalgam of overt behavioral featuresand inner complicated feelings that are practically abstract and epistemologicallyinaccessible.
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2.2 Sources of foreign language learning anxiety
What leads to FLLA confuses so many researchers and educators？There must be someunderlying sources attributing to. To know these factors better, author suggests to have a lookat Horiwitz’ and Young’ ideas first.
2.2.1 Horwitz’s division
Though there are other versions of divisions, Horwitz’ division of FLLA is turned out tobe a much more influential one in history, of which three kinds of language learning anxietiesare presented: communication apprehension, test anxiety, fear of negative evaluation.
The first kind Communication apprehension is regarded as a kind of common anxietyalways permeating in language learning. Namely, its main focus is about interpersonalinteraction. In English classroom, all kinds of tasks and activities demand interaction orcommunication between teacher and students or between students themselves. Therefore,students who have communication anxiety usually generate more avoiding behaviors or lowmotivation or shyness. They tend to be more passive instead of being positive and willing toparticipate in class procedures.
McCroskey (1985) stated communication apprehension can be trait related, specificsituation or people related, or general situation related. As for classroom learning, it isspecific situation related. Difficulty in speaking in dyads or groups or in public is allmanifestations of this anxiety (McCroskey & Daley, 1987).
Test anxiety, being as a scientific construct, it refers to the phenomenological and ychological and behavioral responses accompanying with possible failures in exams. Itusually stems from individual’s worry, interferes with cognitive process, and sometimesaccompanies bodily symptom. Many researches have proved that Chinese students aresubject to experience pervasive text anxiety when they are before or in or out of the text, forthe traditional education is exam oriented.
Fear of negative evaluation generally refers to anxiety observed when an individualsuspects that other people may evaluate him/her negatively (Horwitz, 1986). It is oftentriggered by fluent and proficient speaker teachers and peers in class. The reason why thisanxiety attacks them is may be that some learners are too sensitive to the evaluations formoutside world, or they feel they are incapable of creating a good social image in public.Consequently, anxious individuals try to avoid to present or to perform in public situation andevaluative situation for self-esteem.
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Chapter Three Research Methodology........................................20
3.1 Restatement of research questions................................20
3.2 Statement of hypothesis..................................20
3.3 Subjects..................................21
3.3.1 Questionnaire subjects....................................21
3.3.2 Interview subjects.....................................22
3.4 Instruments......................................22
3.4.1 Quantitative study........................................22
3.4.2 Qualitative study..........................................24
3.5 Pilot study and reliability.......................................24
3.6 Data collection procedures.....................................25
3.7 Data analysis procedures...............................26
Chapter Four Result and Discussion............................27
4.1 Research question one.........................................27
4.1.1 Descriptive statistics of FLRA scores...................................27
4.1.2 Descriptive statistics of 20 items in FLRAS...............................28
4.1.3 Analysis of frequency of top/last 6 items in FLRAS............................28
4.2 Research question two..................................30
4.2.1 General relationship between RP and RA..................................30
4.2.2 Scores of RP between high-anxiety and low-anxiety groups..................31
4.3 Research questions three...................................32
4.4 Research question four..................................33
4.5 Research question five..................................34
4.5.1 Does RP/RA significantly differ in different levels of interest?........................34
4.5.2 Does RA significantly differ in different levels of confidence?..............35
4.5.3 Does reading anxiety differ in different levels of satisfaction?................36
4.5.4 Does reading anxiety differ in different performance positivity?...........37
4.5.5 Does reading anxiety differ in different personality?..............................38
4.6 Research question six.....................................38
4.6.1 Linguistic factors......................................39
4.6.2 Non-linguistic factors................................39

Chapter Five Countermeasures to Alleviate Learners’ Reading Anxiety

Many studies have proofed fact that FLRA plays an unavoidable and pervasive role inmiddle students’ English reading negatively, that some students in grade three haveaccustomed to the anxious state. As a result, the countermeasures from the perspective ofpositive psychology are proposed to supplement previous researches. In light of the threemajor content of positive psychology: positive experience, positive personality and positivesocial institutions, suggestions to foster more joyful, excellent and emotional healthylanguage learners are significant.

5.1 Suggestions for English teachers
5.1.1 Helping learners develop correct awareness of RA and positive quality
RA is a kind of affective state which is pervasive throughout period of language learning.Many students may feel confused, annoyed even helpless, however they can’t seek outreasons by themselves. When it disturbs learners’ quietness of mind, correct awareness of RAis imperative after occurrence of RA. Teachers can facilitate learner’s learning by helpingthem form correct attribution in English reading. Positive attribution encourages learners toattribute failures to external factors instead of internal ones. In addition, helping anxiousreaders recognize their irrational beliefs of language, learners will break anxiety-provokingsituations by opting practical approach rather than being trapped in anxiety spiral (Foss &Reitzel, 1988). On the contrary, learner’s belief that anxiety is temporary affective stateinstead of enduring one works as key element for anxiety recognition. Besides, teachersshould set long-term target of positive learner cultivation, especially from beginning ofmiddle school. As is demonstrated in chapter four that positive learners are likely to believethat their RA can be avoided and alleviated sometimes, and anxiety degree is negativelycorrelated with positive performance. Researchers have found that confident and lovelystudents can start learning with more interest and end with less anxiety. Therefore, teachersshould pay more attention to cultivate learners’ positive quantity like confidence, positive personality, interest, self-motivation, calm, hope and satisfaction, etc. Significantly, teachers’positive personality, positive inherent motives, and positive attitude all attribute to the spreadof positive power in classroom. In a word, for reading activities, teacher’s difficulty of tasks,questions, commands, evaluations, types of activities should serve learners’ positive quantitycultivation.
5.1.2 Advocating learner-centered approach
Learner-centered approach is applauded by humanists, and it becomes the essence ofreform of English education in China. Traditional teachers in class act as dominators,supervisors and commanders which are anxiety-arousing to learners, leading to a gapbetween teachers and learners. What are English education desired effects? What can be therational treatments to change traditional teaching method? Learner-centered teachingapproach does advocate ideas that are conversely different from teacher-centered approach. Itencourages learners to be active in activities. Learners will take more self-responsibility forown language development, and have more control and self-consciousness in what they do inEnglish class. All those requires teachers start teaching on base of learners’ need, interest andprevious knowledge rather than step-by-step instructions, requires teachers endeavor to createenvironment for mutual support and development (Canfield & Wells, 1995), and requiresteachers adapt cooperative learning to ensure more freedom for learners. Thus teacher’s rolebegins to swift to guider, facilitator, and counselor. In all, concerning the spirits ofquantity-oriented education, emphasis should be laid on building favorable learner-centeredapproach, learner-centered activities, and leaner-centered environment.
5.1.3 Adopting interactive model, meaningful tasks and positive strategy training inreading
To make readers have more positive experience rather than negative anxious one, anintegrated and interactive reading model, meaningful tasks and training about readingstrategy are being taken into consideration. Frequently, learners do reading drills by decodingthe reading text on the base of prior relevant knowledge. So there is an agreement onnecessity of integrating the “text-driven” model with “reader-driven” model properly.
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Chapter Six Conclusion

After statistical analyses and discussions in preceding chapters, it is time for author toget this thesis come to its finality. Major findings of the thesis will be followed by discussionsof pedagogical implications as well as research limitations. What’s more, in light of newperspective of research, suggestions for later researches should not be neglected.

6.1 Major findings of the thesis
Having had a systematic review of relevant RA studies, and having have quantitativeanalyses and discussions, now the author will briefly present the major findings aboutlearners in Shijiazhuang No. 6 Middle School.
(1) In fact, grade three students involved in Shijiazhuang No. 6 Middle School do haveexperienced high level of RA. And majority of subjects have high level of RA especially initem 1, 20, 2, 5, 17, 4, 7, 18, 11, 19, 13. All those items focused indicate the possible sourcesarousing RA, and grade three students’ weakness in reading process.
(2) Based on the Correlation analysis, a significant and negative relationship between RA andRP is demonstrated in the thesis. The fact that high level of anxiety usually leads to poorlanguage performance or language proficiency is confirmed once more. Meanwhile,significant difference in RP is found between high-anxiety group and low-anxiety group.
(3) Further more, the relationship between learners’ RA and RS they take, is significantly andnegatively correlated. That means anxiety can be alleviated by RS training among learners.Besides, female participants’ level of RA suggests that they generally suffer less RA thanmale participants.
(4) In this thesis, learners’ psychological variables like reading interest, reading confidence,reading satisfaction, performance positivity in reading. It is proved in chapter four thatlearners with high level of interest, confidence, satisfaction, and performance positivity willgenerate low level of RA, but generate high RP. However, it has been identified one more thatlearners’ personality is not concerned with the generation of RA. That means all kinds ofpersonality could generate RA in reading.
(5) By conducting the interview and combination of Young’s and Horwitz’s ideas aboutpossible resources, linguistic factors and non-linguistic factors are concluded to explain thepossible sources of RA. Detailed resources can be seen from the perspectives like linguisticfeatures of reading materials, learners’ and teachers’ factors, and situational factors.(6) Many positive countermeasures are proposed to alleviate RA for grade three students.Based on the theme of positive psychology, countermeasures for teachers, learners andinstitutions are available in last chapter.
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