TOLERANCE OF AMBIGUITY, ENGLISH LEARNING ANXIETY, AND READING COMPREHENSION ACHIEVEMENTS OF SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Yaqian Zheng

Abstract


This study investigates the interrelationships between tolerance of ambiguity (TOA), foreign language anxiety (FLA), and English reading comprehension achievements among senior high school students. A total of 300 sophomores from Xinzhou Experimental High School, Shanxi Province, participated in the research. Quantitative methods were employed with data collected via three instruments: Saito’s Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale (FLRAS) to measure FLA, Ely’s Second Language Tolerance of Ambiguity Scale (SLTAS) to assess TOA, and a standardized reading comprehension test. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS 23.0 and Excel. Key findings include: (1) Participants exhibited moderate levels of FLA, TOA, and reading comprehension; (2) No significant differences in FLA, TOA, or reading scores were observed across age groups (16, 17, 18 years) or gender; (3) FLA was negatively correlated with reading comprehension scores (r = -0.360, p < 0.01), while TOA was positively correlated with reading scores (r = 0.425, p < 0.01); (4) A negative correlation was found between FLA and TOA (r = -0.467, p < 0.01). These results highlight the importance of addressing both cognitive (TOA) and affective (FLA) factors in English reading instruction. The study recommends targeted teaching strategies to reduce anxiety and enhance students’ ability to tolerate ambiguity, thereby improving reading proficiency.

 

Article visualizations:

Hit counter


Keywords


foreign language anxiety, tolerance of ambiguity, reading comprehension, senior high school students

Full Text:

PDF

References


Alsaleh, A. K. (2018). Investigating Foreign Language Reading Anxiety among University Students. Arab World English Journal, 214.

Baharloo, A., & Ghasemian, Z. (2024). The Interplay of Iranian EFL Learners’ Tolerance of Ambiguity and their Reading Performance Encountering Unknown Vocabularies: Taking their L2 Reading Anxiety into Account. International Journal of Research in English Education, 9(3), 61-74. Retrieved from https://ijreeonline.com/article-1-890-fa.html

Bhandari, P. (2023). What Is Quantitative Research? Scribbr. Retrieved from https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/quantitative-research/

Fattahi Marnani, P., & Cuocci, S. (2022). Foreign Language Anxiety: A Review. Journal of English Learner Education, 14(2). Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/368423530_Foreign_Language_Anxiety_A_Review_on_Theories_Causes_Consequences_and_Implications_for_Educators

Friedman, I. (2025). Testing the viability of large language model artificial intelligence as a form of academic support for non-US students preparing for the critical analysis and reasoning skills section of the Medical College Admission Test (Doctoral dissertation, Drexel University). Retrieved from https://researchdiscovery.drexel.edu/esploro/outputs/doctoral/Testing-the-viability-of-large-language/991022057637804721

Hu, Q. (2018). Reducing High School Students’ English Reading Anxiety via Metacognitive Strategies. Journal of Nanchang Normal College, 39(6), 114–118.

Jong, B., & Jiang, D. (2021). Ambiguity Tolerance and Language Skills. International Journal of Education and Practice, 9(2), 411–423.

Kianinezhad, N. (2024). Investigating the influence of ambiguity tolerance and resilience on student engagement: A literature review. English Learning Innovation (englie), 5(1), 142-150. https://doi.org/10.22219/englie.v5i1.28210

Lafontaine, M., et al. (2022). Distress Tolerance, Anxiety, and Anxiety Sensitivity. Anxiety, Stress, and Coping.

Lauren Thomas, L. (2023). Systematic Sampling. Scribbr. Retrieved from https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/systematic-sampling/

Leng, J. (2022). Ambiguity Tolerance and Reading Anxiety Among Minority High School Students. Tianjin Normal University (Dissertation).

Mallillin, L. L. D. (2017). Language needs analysis for English curriculum validation. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention, 6(2), 27-33. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333395871_Language_Needs_Analysis_for_English_Curriculum_Validation

Mallillin, L. L. D. (2023). Global Approach in Teaching and Learning Theory. The International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Invention, 10(02), 7686-7700. http://dx.doi.org/10.18535/ijsshi/v10i02.01

Mallillin, L. L. D. (2024). Mallillin Model Theory of Learning. European Journal of Education Studies, 11(12). http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v11i12.5744

Mallillin, L. L. D. (2024). Teaching of English in the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs): A Tool and Challenges for Teaching Pedagogy. Universal Library of Innovative Research and Studies, 1(2). http://dx.doi.org/10.70315/uloap.ulirs.2024.0102002

Mallillin, L. L. D., & Lopez, W. H. (2024). Faculty Professional Development on Instructional Practices: Basis for Teaching Pedagogy. Guild of Educators in TESOL International Research Journal, 2(3), 97-108. http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13748397

Shi, C. (2025). A Case Study of National Matriculation English Test Validity in Predicting Students’ English Performance in College. SAGE Open, 15(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440251331196

Sun, Y. (2023). Ambiguity Tolerance and Reading Anxiety. Journal of Language Teaching Research, 11(6), 983–987.

Wan, B. (2022). Mediating Role of Reading Anxiety in Junior High School. Inner Mongolia Normal University (Dissertation).

Xu, X., & Ouyang, G. (2018). Vocabulary Ambiguity and Reading Comprehension. Journal of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, 29(1), 34–41.




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejoe.v10i3.6221

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright © 2016-2026. European Journal of Open Education and E-learning Studies (ISSN 2501-9120) is a registered trademark of Open Access Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

This journal is a serial publication uniquely identified by an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) serial number certificate issued by Romanian National Library (Biblioteca Nationala a Romaniei). All the research works are uniquely identified by a CrossRef DOI digital object identifier supplied by indexing and repository platforms.

All the research works published on this journal are meeting the Open Access Publishing requirements and can be freely accessed, shared, modified, distributed and used in educational, commercial and non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).