چکیده:
Foreign Language Reading Anxiety (FLRA), distinguished as a distinct phenomenon from general language anxiety, has been shown to have a negative impact on reading comprehension skill especially for less proficient EFL learners. FLRA is believed to originate from "unfamiliar writing system" or learners' difficulty in pronouncing words and sentences (Saito, Graza, & Horwitz, 1999). Slow or word by word readers are often anxious while trying to read unfamiliar words. In addition, readers experience anxiety when they want to relate texts' message to their background knowledge; FLRA comes from "unfamiliar cultural materials" (Saito, et al., 1999). Pedagogical implications of FLRA studies usually suggest anxiety free situations as well as anxiety reducing strategies to help low level learners overcome their reading anxiety and better develop their reading skills. This study was conducted to find the possible effect of an amalgamate of scaffolded and extensive reading (SER) to relieve FLRA. Fourty low-ability readers were divided into two groups, control and experimental groups. Experimental group read 10 story books during ten weeks in a scaffolded environment, whereas control group continued their traditional reading class. Analysis of the results of the study indicated that after treatment, the experimental group was significantly less anxious than the control group and confirmed the effectiveness of the program to reduce FLRA of Iranian low proficient readers
خلاصه ماشینی:
Pedagogical implications of FLRA studies usually suggest anxiety free situations as well as anxiety reducing strategies to help low level learners overcome their reading anxiety and better develop their reading skills.
In addition to affective factors like attitudes, motivation, prior experiences and expectations (McKenna, Ellsworth & Kear, 1995 cited in Gee, 1999), foreign language reading anxiety (FLRA) has proved to play a key role in developing reading proficiency (Saito, Graza & Horwitz, 1999).
The results of the study may have the potential to predict FLRA in similar situations like Persian EFL learners whose native language has a distinct writing system from English as in the case of Kargar (2002) in which low level Iranian EFL readers were significantly more anxious than more proficient ones.
g. Cho & Krashen 1994; Ellev & Mangubhai 1983; Grabe & Stoller, 1997; Green & Oxford, 1995; Hafez & Tudor, 1989; Hafiz & Tudor, 1990; Hayashi, 1999; Hedgcock & Atkinson, 1993; Janopolous, 1986; Mason & Krashen, 1997; Pigada & Schmitt, 2006; Pitts, White & Krashen, 1989; Polak & Krashen, 1988; Robb & Susser,1989; Tsang, 1996;).
Research Question and Hypothesis The present study was designed to investigate whether scaffolded extensive reading (SER) reduces foreign language reading anxiety (FLRA).
More specifically, the following research question was formulated for this study: Does scaffolded extensive reading (SER) have the potential to reduce foreign language reading anxiety (FLRA)?
To sum up, the results of the pre- and post-tests and the interview with the students at the end of the study confirmed that the program was effective in relieving FLRA specially the learners who had hard time reading foreign language texts.