A Comparative Study of Two Scales for Foreign Language Classroom Enjoyment

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Second Language Acquisition
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Assessing foreign language enjoyment is crucial for effective pedagogy.
• Existing scales may require adaptation for specific cultural and linguistic contexts.
• The Jin and Zhang Chinese version of the Foreign Language Enjoyment Scale (FLIES-CZ) was developed for classroom learning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate Jin and Zhang's Chinese version of the Foreign Language Enjoyment Scale using confirmatory factor analysis.
• To compare the psychometric properties of the FLIES-CZ with an existing 11-item scale.
• To refine the FLIES-CZ for optimal use in Chinese educational settings.

Main Methods:

• Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was employed to test the factor structure of the FLIES-CZ.
• The study involved 405 Chinese first-language senior high school English learners.
• The revised 16-item FLIES-CZ was compared against Li, Jiang, and Dewaele's 11-item scale.

Main Results:

• The Jin and Zhang's Chinese version of the Foreign Language Enjoyment Scale was successfully reduced to a 16-item scale.
• The 16-item scale retained the original factor structure.
• The revised 16-item FLIES-CZ demonstrated superior dimensional division and psychometric properties compared to the 11-item scale.

Conclusions:

• The refined 16-item FLIES-CZ is a psychometrically sound instrument for measuring foreign language enjoyment.
• This validated scale can be a valuable tool for improving English language teaching and learning in China.
• The findings support the broader application of the FLIES-CZ in educational research and practice.