Reading anxiety among indigenous students in Kuala Tahan primary schools

Reading is one of the vital skills necessary for literacy. Reading abilities allow learners to gain new information, broaden their knowledge, and improve their communication and language skills. The issue of lacking reading literacy is prevalent among indigenous students, which hampers their mastery of the English language. This study was conducted to investigate reading anxiety among indigenous primary school students in an EFL classroom. The research involved 23 indigenous children from two national primary schools. Employing a quantitative method, this study aimed to determine the level of reading anxiety among indigenous students and the types of difficulties they experienced when using reading strategies. Data were collected using a survey based on the EFL Reading Anxiety Inventory (EFLRAI) to measure their anxiety levels and identify the types of difficulties they encountered. The findings indicate that the students experience moderate anxiety, with vocabulary being the most challenging component, followed by grammar, and then general reading anxiety. These findings will help teachers select appropriate approaches to encourage and support indigenous students in improving their reading skills.