The Correlation Study Of Senior High School Students’ English Reading Tolerance Of Ambiguity,ego Boundary And Reading Scores

As two important factors which influence second language learners(hereafter,SLL)and foreign language learners’(hereafter,FLL)language learning and reading,reading tolerance of ambiguity(hereafter,TOA)and ego boundary(hereafter,EB)play important roles in students’ language learning and reading proficiency.In foreign language reading,the degree of tolerance for reading ambiguity determines the extent to which learners can tolerate ambiguity in the reading process and the behaviors of how to deal with ambiguity;thick and thin EB,as language learners’ two distinct learning styles,affect learners’ learning preferences and learning behaviors.In recent years,researchers have mainly focused on the explorations of the definition,measurement of TOA and EB,and the effects of the two variables on language learning.Previous studies have shown that TOA and EB influence language learners’ speaking and reading proficiency.However,the subjects studied are mainly university and secondary vocational school students.Investigations on senior high school students’ reading TOA and EB are relatively scarce.Therefore,the purpose of this research is to explore the characteristics of senior high school students’ reading TOA and EB,the differences of the two between male and female students,arts and science classes,good English readers and poor English readers,and the impact of the two factors on their English reading comprehension scores.119 students in one science and one arts class from a senior high school in Yunnan province participated in the research and finished the questionnaire,among whom 6 students were interviewed.A quantitative combined with a qualitative research method was used,and the SPSS 20.0(Statistical Package for Social Science)was applied to collect and analyze the data.Based on the data analysis and the interview,there are five major findings:(1)Students’ reading TOA and EB are generally at a medium level,and the three dimensions of reading TOA ranked from high to low as follows: reading TOA in strange situations> reading TOA in contradictory situations> reading TOA in complex situations;(2)There is no significant difference in EB and reading TOA in arts and science classes,but science students are more willing to tolerate ambiguities caused by unfamiliar topics,long sentences and clauses than arts students;(3)There are no significant differences of EB and reading TOA between male and female groups.But when faced with ambiguities caused by unfamiliar topics,sentences,and contradictory opinions,male students’ reading TOA is higher than that of female;(4)Good English readers and poor English readers have significant differences in EB and reading TOA;(5)Students’ English reading TOA and EB have a significantly positive correlation with English reading scores;(6)There is a significantly positive correlation between students’ reading TOA and EB.This study confirms the effects of reading TOA and EB on English reading performance,which is beneficial for both teachers and students to understand their reading TOA and EB levels.Furthermore,it helps teachers promote the teaching efficiency based on students’ reading TOA and EB.