Among various factors influencing English learning, affective variables such as attitudes, motivation, and anxiety are highly significant. Among these factors, learners' attitude towards learning English is considered a key element in inspiring learners to acquire proficiency in the language. This study investigates the correlation between attitude and speaking proficiency in the Chinese context of learning English as a foreign language (EFL). The study sample comprises 90 sophomore students majoring in non-English disciplines from Yinchuan Energy College in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region of China. Data were collected using Gardner's Attitude/Motivation Test Battery questionnaire and a speaking proficiency test to assess the level of English speaking proficiency. Mean values, standard deviations, percentages, Pearson product-moment correlations, and the Kolmogorov-Smirnov Test were employed to analyze the data. The results indicate that Chinese college students exhibit a highly positive attitude towards learning English, and there is a positive correlation between students' attitudes and their English speaking proficiency. The paper also discusses some insights derived from the study.

Su Dongying. The relationship between attitude and English speaking skills of Chinese college students. Frontiers in Educational Research (2024) Vol. 7, Issue 4: 111-117. https://doi.org/10.25236/FER.2024.070419.

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