Chapter One Introduction
In recent years, researchers in second language teaching and acquisition areashave gradually realized that only by the in-depth observation and scientific analysis ofESL learners' study can they better grasp learners' learning features. At the same time,latest research results of related branches such as theoretical linguistics,sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, etc., also give rise to studies on English as thesecond language (ESL) learners' learning process and ESL teaching environment.Through these studies, researchers believe that they've achieved better understandingon secondlanguage acquisition (SLA)(束定芳，庄智象，1996)and organize ESL teaching activities moreeffectively.
Before 1970s, studies of SLA mainly focus on intelligence, aptitude, etc. In 1973,Brown began to investigate the effect of affective variables in language learning. Hepoints out affective factors are closely related to ESL learners' success and failure,and anxiety is one of the important affective variables.
1.1 Background of the Study
Since China's reform and opening policy, people have get access to the outsideworld. English, as one of the most popular used languages over the world becomeChina's major second language. Chinese high school students also feel the importanceand necessity of learning English which can contribute to their knowledge and abilityof their study and even realize their self-values. But there is a factor that has beenconsidered as key in deciding an ESL learner's success and failure can affect ESLlearning, which is affective variable. In 1960, with the rise and development ofhumanistic psychology, affective problems in SLA have been highly valued.Humanistic psychologists and educators hold that education should be able to promotepeople's over-all development, but to achieve that, affective factors and cognitivefactors should be treated as important as other targets. The Basic EducationCurriculum Reform (Trial, The Ministry of Education of the People's Republic ofChina, 2pO1) has clearly put forward its reform targets in which student-centerededucation is mentioned. Looking into the students themselves makes affective factorsattract much more attention than ever before. In 2003, the OrdinarySchoolEnglish Curriculum Standards {Trial, The Ministry of Education of the People'sRepublic of China, 2003) also clearly points out emotions and attitudes are crucialfactors that can affect students' study and development. Gardner and MacIntyre (1991)regard anxiety the biggest affective obstacles in language acquisition. Therefore, howto conquer and deal with anxiety in ESL learning arouses teachers and researchers'concern.
In psychology, anxiety is a very complex emotion composed by fear,compunction, anger, pain, etc.(彭龄，2004). In Europe and America, as far back as1940 or SOs anxiety has been a focus in studies and practices by educationalpsychology researchers. After 1980s, with the development of SLA, some researcherssuch as Gardner, Steinberg, Young reached an agreement on the relationship betweenaffective variables and foreign language learning. More and more Chinese researchersare paying close attention to the effect of affective factors in language learning too.
Relevant studies abroad include researches on anxiety state of language learners,by Horwitz and Cope (1991). Researchers like Young (1992) studied on the effect ofanxiety to foreign language learning, MacIntyre and Gardner(1991) conductedquantitative research on anxiety, and Steinberg and Horwitz (1986) studied on therelation between anxiety and specific aspects of SLA, like foreign languageachievements, etc. However, most of these anxiety studies are about class anxiety,spoken English anxiety. For language reading anxiety, there are Satio, Horwitz andGarza (1999) who studied on the foreign language reading state over 383 Americanstudents, and instrument are their self-made Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale(FLRAS). The results show that foreign language reading anxiety does exist; it maybe triggered by different reasons, and can affect foreign language learningachievements.
Domestic research on FLRA over the past 30 years have displayed increasingtendency. There are researchers like Shi Yunzhang, Chen Suhong, etc, who studied onthe relations between foreign language reading anxiety and English achievements, andother variables.
References
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基于FLRAS的中国高中生英语阅读焦虑研究
摘要 5-6
Abstract 6
Chapter One Introduction 13-17
1.1 Background of the Study 13-15
1.2 Significance of the Present Study 15-17
1.3 Structure of the Thesis 17
Chapter Two Literature Review 17-29
2.1 Theoretical Foundations 18-20
2.1.1 Humanistic psychology and foreign language learning anxiety 18-19
2.1.2 Affective filter hypothesis and foreign language learning 19-20
2.2 Anxiety 20-23
2.2.1 Definition of anxiety 20
2.2.2 Classification of anxiety 20-23
2.3 Foreign Language Anxiety 23-26
2.3.1 Definitions of foreign language anxiety 23
2.3.2 Sources of foreign language anxiety 23-25
2.3.3 Studies on foreign language learning anxiety 25-26
2.4 Foreign Language Reading Anxiety 26-29
2.4.1 Reading and reading anxiety 26-27
2.4.2 Studies on reading anxiety 27-29
Chapter Three The Empirical Study on the English Reading Anxiety State ofHigh School Students in Beijing Feng Tai NO.2 Middle School 29-37
3.1 Research Questions 29-30
3.2 Participants 30-33
3.2.1 Survey participants 30-33
3.2.2 Interview participants 33
3.3 Research Method 33-34
3.4 Instruments 34-36
3.4.1 Questionnaire 34-35
3.4.2 Semi-structured interview 35-36
3.5 Data Collection 36
3.6 Data Treatment 36-37
Chapter Four Results and Discussions 37-60
4.1 Data Description 37-38
4.2 Research Question 1:For students of different English learning expectations,English reading motivations, and chances of talking with foreigners, are there significantdifferences between English reading anxiety and English achievement? 38-43
4.2.1 Participants of different English learning expectations 38-41
4.2.2 Participants of different English reading motivations 41-42
4.2.3 Participants of different English talking chances with foreigners 42-43
4.3 Research Question 2:Among the high, average and low levels of English readinganxiety groups, are there any significant differences? 43-49
4.3.1 Are there great differences in English achievements, objective scores and subjective scores among the high, average and low English reading anxiety groups? 44-46
4.3.2 Are there significant differences in English reading comprehension anxiety, reading method anxiety and reading confidence among the three groups? 46-48
4.3.3 Are there significant differences in English Learning Years of the Three Groups 48-49
4.4 Research Question 3:Are there significant differences in English reading anxietylevel between classes, boy and girl students and the twice FLRAS surveys? 49-60
4.4.1 English reading anxiety and English achievements 49-50
4.4.2 English reading anxiety and gender 50-54
4.4.3 English reading anxiety and classes 54-58
4.4.4 English reading anxiety fluctuation through time 58
4.4.5 Comparison with other research results of home and abroad 58-60
Chapter Five Conclusion 60-67
5.1 Main Findings of the Study 60-61
5.2 Pedagogical Implications 61-65
5.2.1 Providing students comprehensible input 62-63
5.2.2 Increasing students' confidence of foreign language learning 63-64
5.2.3 Attaching importance to cultural input,reducing foreign language readinganxiety from cultural differences 64-65
5.2.4 Training reading strategies 65
5.3 Limitations of This Study and Subsequent Research Plan 65-67
References 67-69
Appendix 1:Questionnaires 69-71
Appendix 2:Interview Syllabus 71-72
Acknowledgements 72