Tolerance of Ambiguity, Reading Strategies and Ability of Chinese College Non-English Majors

Abstract – This study assessed the level of tolerance of ambiguity of non-English majors to cope with complex, incomplete, uncertain, and unknown context in English reading, which significantly influenced their reading strategies and ability. The study employed a quantitative research method, and three survey questionnaires were used to identify tolerance of ambiguity, reading strategies and ability of 400 non-English major students from HUAT majoring in automotive engineering and in economics and management.

The findings revealed a significant correlation between high tolerance of ambiguity and the use of effective reading strategies, such as prediction, inference, and summarization. Students with higher tolerance levels were found to be more adept at navigating ambiguous texts and extracting meaning from complex English materials. Moreover, these students demonstrated superior reading comprehension skills compared to their peers with lower tolerance levels.

The study concluded that fostering tolerance of ambiguity should be an integral part of English language teaching for non-English majors. Teachers were encouraged to incorporate activities that enhanced students’ ability to handle ambiguity, thereby improving their reading strategies and overall English reading ability. This research contributed to the field of second language acquisition by providing empirical evidence of the role of tolerance of ambiguity in English reading ability among non-English major students in Chinese colleges. Based on the findings, an enhancement program was proposed to help Chinese non-English majors deal with reading ambiguity, help them better use in reading strategies and promote their reading ability in EFL reading learning.

 Keywords – Tolerance of Ambiguity, Reading Strategies, Reading Ability, EFL Reading Learning