The study of reading anxiety and the use of reading strategies among two groups of Thai EFL students

Reading is an essential skill for learning, especially when students are studying a second or foreign language as their academic performance depends on their capacity to read and understand written English. Despite the curriculum's emphasis on English, many Thai students struggle with reading comprehension, as evidenced by their low scores on the Thai General Aptitude Test 1 (TGAT1). This study explores reading anxiety and reading strategies among EFL twelfth-grade students in Western Thailand and identifies the differences in reading anxiety and reading strategies between high-level and low-level proficiency groups. This quantitative research employed the adapted versions of the Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale (FLRAS) and the Survey of Reading Strategies (SORS). The study reveals that EFL students in Western Thailand had a moderate level of foreign language reading anxiety. However, the anxiety levels of the high-level and low-level proficiency groups did not differ significantly. In terms of reading strategies, the study found a high level of proficiency in using reading strategies among the students. Students used strategies at different frequencies and problem-solving strategies were most frequently used, followed by global and support strategies. The comparison of reading strategies between the two groups reveals that unlike the low-level group, the high-level proficiency group employed reading methods more frequently and successfully. The findings emphasize that to enhance English reading proficiency, it is essential to both reduce reading anxiety and promote the use of effective reading strategies. By doing so, students can improve their comprehension, become more proficient in English, and perform better academically.

阅读是学习的核心技能，尤其对于学习第二语言或外语的学生而言，其学业表现直接取决于其阅读理解书面英语的能力。尽管课程体系高度重视英语学习，但诸多泰国学生的阅读理解能力仍存在明显短板，这一点可从其泰国普通能力倾向测试1（Thai General Aptitude Test 1，TGAT1）的低分得到印证。本研究以泰国西部的英语作为外语（English as a Foreign Language，EFL）十二年级学生为对象，探讨其阅读焦虑与阅读策略的使用情况，并对比高、低不同语言能力水平组在阅读焦虑及阅读策略上的差异。本项定量研究采用了改编版的外语阅读焦虑量表（Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale，FLRAS）与阅读策略调查问卷（Survey of Reading Strategies，SORS）。研究结果显示，泰国西部的EFL学生整体处于中等程度的外语阅读焦虑水平；不过，高、低能力水平组学生的阅读焦虑程度并无显著差异。在阅读策略使用方面，研究发现受试学生的阅读策略运用能力整体处于较高水平，学生们的策略使用频率存在差异，其中问题解决类策略使用最为频繁，其次为全局策略与辅助策略。两组阅读策略对比结果显示，与低能力组不同，高能力组学生更频繁且高效地运用阅读策略。本研究结果表明，若要提升学生的英语阅读能力，需同时兼顾降低阅读焦虑与推广有效阅读策略的使用。通过落实上述举措，学生可提升阅读理解能力、精进英语水平，并取得更优异的学业成绩。