The Impact of Reading Anxiety on Undergraduate Students in Pakistan: An Exploration of Meta-Cognitive Strategies

Abstract

Abstract

Previous studies have linked second language reading strategies to decreased reading anxiety. Nevertheless, current study had generated a model by adding reading proficiency and reading self-efficacy. This research aimed to explore the co-relations between reading anxiety, reading strategies and self-efficacy in English as a foreign language. Four different adapted tools were brought together to form a comprehensive survey questionnaire in order to collect data from undergraduate university students in Pakistan. Two-hundred and forty participants responded to the survey by using convenient sampling technique. Data were analyzed by using SPSS 22 version. A set of various tests were applied to test the generated hypotheses. The results suggest that reading anxiety is a constant factor, but students utilize their reading strategies to decrease the anxiety issues. Overall, a positive correlation was identified and none of the variable was insignificant. This research is likely to help EFL teachers to explore students’ beliefs about effective reading strategies.

     Keywords: second/foreign language reading anxiety, meta-cognitive strategies, reading efficacy and proficiency.