Miscue Analysis as a Diagnostic Tool: Exploring English Reading Challenges among Chinese Middle School Students

With the increasing importance of English, Chinese middle school students face significant challenges in developing English proficiency. This study explores the English reading abilities of Chinese middle school students through the innovative method of miscue analysis, which examines the deviations from the expected response during the reading process to reveal their underlying reading strategies and shortcomings. Pioneered by Ken Goodman, miscue analysis has provided valuable insights into reading behaviors across diverse populations. This research involves 40 junior high school students from Tianjin Foreign Language School, analyzing the types and causes of miscues in their reading process. The findings indicate that these students mainly face challenges such as having a limited vocabulary, making grammatical errors and experiencing comprehension difficulties. The result emphasizes the potential of miscue analysis as a diagnostic tool in second-language education, offering educators a deeper understanding of students reading processes, guiding the development of targeted interventions to enhance the quality of second-language education. Future research should focus on expanding the sample size, developing specific scientific interventions to increase credibility, and applying miscue analysis to broader student populations and contexts to provide a comprehensive understanding of factors influencing English language learning in China.