Reading engagement refers to the extent to which the students are committed to their reading activities. Previous studies suggest that reading engagement is a strong predictor of reading proficiency in L1 context. However, to date, little empirical research has been conducted to explore the relationship between reading engagement and reading achievement in an EFL context.

Based on the three-dimensional model of reading engagement (behavioral, cognitive and affective), the present study aims to investigate how reading engagement affects English reading achievement among junior and senior secondary students in China, and whether these two groups of students show different patterns of reading engagement.

Through quantitative analysis on students’ self-reports that measured the behavioral, affective, and cognitive dimensions of reading engagement, the research findings identified that reading engagement correlates positively with English reading achievement. Grade differences have also been found in different aspects of reading engagement. Implications of these findings for understanding Chinese secondary students’ reading engagement and potential effective instructions to enhance reading engagement are discussed in the end.