本研究的目的旨在探討英語系主修生英語閱讀焦慮與英語閱讀能力之相關、高低閱讀焦慮群學生在英語閱讀成就上的差異、英語閱讀焦慮的來源以及減輕英語閱讀焦慮的解決方法。
參與本研究的對象為150位南台科技大學英語系主修生。所有的學生都是於97學年度入學應用英語系的大一新生，並且每週都修讀一門兩小時的初級英語閱讀課程。研究工具包括了「英語閱讀經驗問卷」、「英語閱讀焦慮量表」以及「訪談問題」。藉由SPSS12.0中的敘述統計、相關係數和單因子變異數分析來分析問卷資料。並且從高閱讀焦慮群中選10位學生進行訪談，並將訪談紀錄做質化分析。
本研究結果顯示英語系主修生英語閱讀焦慮與英語閱讀成就呈現負相關。 高低閱讀焦慮群學生在英語閱讀表現上有顯著差異。而導致英語閱讀焦慮的因素有低英語能力、閱讀文章本身以及考試。其中低英語能力包括字彙量不足、無法分析複雜的文法、無法理解文章的結構和英語背景知識的不足。閱讀文章則包含了文章的長度和難易度。而考試部分則是以問答題的題型最易引起閱讀焦慮。學生們建議能減輕閱讀焦慮的方法為增加字彙量、上課前要做好準備、上課時要專心聽講以及養成每天閱讀英語文章的習慣。
期望本研究的結果能對英語閱讀相關課程有所助益。

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between English reading anxiety and English reading proficiency of university English major students, differences in English reading proficiency among students with different English reading anxiety levels, the sources of English reading anxiety, and the solutions of reducing English reading anxiety.
The participants of the study consisted of 150 English major undergraduate students of Southern Taiwan University in Tainan County. All the participants were freshmen who enrolled in Applied English Department in Academic year 2008 and received a beginning English reading course for two hours per week. The instruments employed in this study were“Background Information & English Reading Experiences”, “Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale”, and “interview questions”. The questionnaire data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson Product Moment Correlation and One-way ANOVA. Ten students from high-anxious groups were selected for the interview and their interview records were analyzed qualitatively.
The study findings revealed that there was a modest negative correlation between English reading anxiety and English reading proficiency. There was a significant difference in English reading proficiency among students with different English reading anxiety levels. Students with high reading anxiety tended to get lower reading scores and students with low reading anxiety tended to get higher reading scores. The factors that led to English reading anxiety contained low English proficiency, reading texts, and the tests. Low English proficiency included insufficient vocabulary size, inability to analyze complicated grammar, inability to comprehend the structure of the texts, and deficient knowledge of English. Reading texts included the problem of the length and the difficulty. Open-ended questions were the most anxiety-provoking section in a test. The solutions of reducing English reading anxiety from the perspectives of those students were increasing vocabulary size, being well-prepared before the class, paying special attention to the teacher, and building the habit of reading English every day.
It is hoped that the study findings can be conducive to English reading courses and English learning.

Table of Contents
Chinese Abstract i
English Abstract ii
Acknowledgement
Table of Contents v
List of Tables viii
List of Figure ix


Chapter One Introduction 1
Background and Motivation 1
Purpose of the Study 4
Research Questions 5
Significance of the Study 6
Definition of Terms 6
Organization of the Study 7

Chapter Two Literature Review 9
Affective Variables on Language Learning 9
Definition of Anxiety 10
Anxiety Theories 12
Trait Anxiety 12
State Anxiwey 12
Situation Specific Anxiety 13
Foreign Language Anxiety 14
Constructs of Foreign Language Anxiety 15
Communication Apprehension 16
Test Anxiety 17
Fear of Negative Evaluation 17
Measures of Foreign Language Anxiety 18
Effect of Anxiety on Foreign Language Learning 20
Congitive Aspect 20
Facilitating and Debilitating Anxiety 21
Reading Anxiety 22
Studies of Foreign Language Reading Anxiety 24

Chapter Three Methodology 29
Research Design 29
Participants 30
Instruments 31
Questionnaire 31
English Reading Comprehension Test 33
Interview 33
Procedure of the Study 34
Data Analysis 36
Data Analysis of Questionnaire 36
Data Analysis of Interview 36

Chapter Four Results and Discussion 37
Results from the Questionnaire 37
Participants’ English Reading Experience 38
Results from the FLRAS 42
Results and Discussion of Research Question 1 47
Results and Discussion of Research Question 2 49
Results from the Interview 53
Causes of English Reading Anxiety 53
Solutions for Reducing English Reading Anxiety 57
Teachers’ assistance of alleviating English Reading Anxiety 58

Chapter Five Conclusion 60
Summary of the Major Findings 60
Pedagogical Implications 62
Limitations and Suggestions 67

References 69
Appendices 81
Appendix A: Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale 81
Appendix B: Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale (Chinese version) 83
Appendix C: Interview Questions 85
Appendix D: Interview Questions (Chinese version) 86
Appendix E: English Reading Comprehension One (beginning level) 87
Appendix F: English Reading Comprehension Two (intermediate level) 88
Appendix G: English Reading Comprehension Three (high-intermediate level) 90

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