CHAPTER IV

CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

This chapter is aimed to present the conclusions and suggestions which are

based on the research findings, results, and discussion. In addition, limitation of

the study is also posed in this chapter.

4.1 Conclusions

This study has intention to describe the pattern of relationships among

reading anxiety, self-efficacy, reading strategy use, and reading comprehension of

Indonesian EFL college students through trialling the proposed pattern. The data

analysis performed the measurement of reflective model to verify the proposed

pattern. The data analysis revealed some detectable information includes findings,

and results, which then lead researcher to pinpoint some methodological flaws as

limitations of the study.

Major breakthroughs in the search for the answer of research problems and

the discussion yield some salient points of the study. Firstly, the data analysis

reflects that reading anxiety and self-efficacy have a moderate negative

correlation. Secondly, reading anxiety and reading strategy use show a very low

negative correlation. Thirdly, the correlation of reading anxiety and reading

comprehension is a moderate negative. Fourthly, the results of data analysis

indicate that self-efficacy and reading strategy have a moderate positive

correlation. Fifthly, self-efficacy and reading comprehension express a low

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positive correlation. Lastly, the correlation between reading strategy use and

reading comprehension manifests a low positive correlation.

The verification of the proposed pattern was initiated by hypotheses testing

and evaluating the output of the refelective model measurement from Path

Analysis of XLSTAT PLS 2014 program. The end results of the analysis and

evaluation yield the bare bones of the reseach problem. First, there are three

removed paths from the proposed path; reading anxiety and reading strategy use,

reading anxiety and reading comprehension, and reading strategy use and reading

comprehension. They are removed from the proposed path because of the

acceptance of H0 and unfulfilled bootstrapping requirements to fit model in

verifying the proposed pattern. Second, the verified paths from the proposed path

are reading anxiety and self-efficacy, self-efficacy and reading strategy use, and

self-efficacy and reading comprehension. They are verified because they fulfill the

requirements of measurement of reflective model. Third, reading anxiety does not

have direct effect on reading strategy use and reading comprehension but it has

indirect effect on reading strategy use and reading comprehension through the

mediation of self-efficacy.

The results of the study craft that the removed paths are caused by the

accepted H0 and unfulfilled requirements of reflective model measurement. This

may be caused by some methodological flaws. First, the small sample size then

detailed researcher to switch over the data analysis to Path Analysis of XLSTAT

PLS 2014. Over and above, the unfulfilled assumptions of the Path Analysis

requirements confirmed that the data collected could not be proceed and at last

researcher was compelled to contract the purpose of the study, which was in the
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beginning had intention to identify the relationships among the constructs through

trialling the proposed pattern and produced hard modelling for the proposed

pattern. Since the data also did not fulfill the need requirements for applying

analysis parametric-based, XLSTAT PLS which works based on a non-parametric

assumption of SEM, was an exit strategy for researcher still on track to meet the

objectives of the research problem.

Second, the instruments did not elicit the data intended precisely. The data

collected, especially on reading strategy use, did not show the factual condition of

the students. The instruments deployed in this study which must function to elicit

information related to the students’ state, only yield such a kind of self-report of

their individual state that can be colored by confounding factors.

Third, the students have a different point of view and way in facing their

anxiety. Also, the source of their anxiety is different each other. It then can affect

their action during the data collection process. It is viewed from the standpoint of

Cognitive Theory dealing with Theory of Anxiety, it might be influenced by the

participants’ personal relevance. Empirically, high and low anxiety people will

differ in cognitive appraisal of ambiguity depending on the personal relevance is

influenced by environmental factors, biological events, and cognitive factors.

Although the end results of the study produce different results with the

previous research showing relationships among those constructs which their paths

are removed from the proposed pattern and some methodological flaws weild

influence the study, the confirmation of theories still performed well and the result

of the analysis and evaluation of the model measurement crafts a standardized

path estimate or can be called as a soft modelling. The standardized path estimate
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can be used as a sketch of paradigmatic model to portray relationships among

affective factors, conginitive factors, and reading comprehension.

4.2 Limitations of the Study

Even though researcher has spared no effort to find out the answer of the

research problem, reseacher acknowledges that there are some limitations in this

study. A number of caveats need to be noted regarding this study. The first

limitation concerns the number of the participants. Researcher only involved 53

(fifty-three) students as the participants that is why researcher changed the data

analysis from SEM (Structural Equational Modeling) to XLSTAT PLS (Partial

Least Square) 2014. The number of samples did not fulfill the terms of operating

SEM analysis which needs at least 200 samples to work optimally in analysing the

data collected to verify the proposed pattern. Thus, the number of samples needs

to be increased and broaden the scope for collecting data so that the result of the

study can be used to generalize the selected constructs and can deploy an

optimum data analysis with a highly precise performance to get fruitful research

results.

The second limitation is the instruments used. Although the instruments

deployed in this study are all adopted instruments from standardized instruments

and have been validated by the expert validator and peer judgment, it still opens to

question. Lastly, the selected constructs in this study also can become the

limitation of the study as there might be some other relevant factors that can be

involved or significantly contribute to reading comprehension. As the study only

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involves three selected constructs of the amount of factors contributing to reading

comprehension which have been studied by the previous researchers and

contained in the theories. The future researcher should explore every avenue in the

search for other factors which have contigency influences to lead researchers to do

more painstaking research related to language learning, especially in connection

with EFL learning.

4.3 Suggestions

All the findings and results provide supportable existence to authenticate

the theoretical basis used in this study. The findings and results of the study

provide empirical support for a significant relationship among those constructs

proposed. Since reading anxiety and self-efficacy show a moderate negative

correlation and self-efficacy also correspondens with reading strategy use and

reading comprehension, those points imply the double concern on the part of

teachers and lecturers for learner’s beliefs about their competency before and

during executing a task not only as an inseparable part of each learner’s

personality or character but also as a motivational parameter to make them a

strategic reader and learner. The teachers or lecturers are responsible for

accomodating insight into psychological states and needs of the learners during

the process of language learning. As affective dimension make a contribution to

the development and improvement of learners’ cognitive dimension and behavior

dimension.

The results of this study afford the future researcher information about

some methodological aspects of the present study that should be improved to

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produce better and fruitful research results. The future reseracher can design

relevant research which selects more variables, involves more samples, improves

the instruments or develops instruments, and deploys other analysis to more fully

explore the aspects and factors contributing to reading comprehension. To elicit

information relating to reading strategy use, it will be better to use think aloud

strategy. It may disclose the factual condition of the students’ reading strategy

use.

Based on the Social Cognitive Theory of Bandura and Theory of Anxiety,

anxiety can be a source and effect of behavioural change dealing with the

cognitive process of an individual which is influenced and caused by some

factors. This study can be said as a basic or beginning research in the area of

language learning. Therefore, it can be used by the future researcher as a starting

point to conceptualize or theorize other patterns or models relating to the theories.