Turkish adaptation and validation of the short form of the Foreign Language Enjoyment Scale

Abstract

Introduction

Emotions have an important role in the foreign language learning process. Positive emotions as one of the strong predictors of learning have important pedagogical implications. Enjoyment, which is one of the leading positive emotions, can be associated with solidarity and support among students in the classroom environment, the general classroom atmosphere, the content of the teaching, the personal characteristics of the teachers and their behavior towards the students. Although there are important pedagogical aspects of enjoying learning a foreign language, studies have been conducted on negative emotions such as foreign language anxiety instead of positive emotions about learning a foreign language for years. It can be said that measuring the anxiety or boredom experienced while learning a foreign language will not be enough to reveal how much enjoy students while learning a foreign language. For this reason, studies should be conducted on more positive emotions such as enjoying learning a foreign language.

Objective

This study tries to explore the validity and reliability of the short form of the Foreign Language Enjoyment Scale adapted to Turkish.

Method

A total of 255 students who learn foreign languages in Turkey participated voluntarily in the study. The Turkish short form of the Foreign Language Enjoyment Scale was applied to the students online. The data of the study were evaluated in terms of, standard Rasch model analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, convergent and discriminant validity analyses.

Results

According to the reliability analyses, Cronbach Alpha value was found to be 0.840. According to the Rasch Model analysis all scale items were found to be productive for measurement. Revealed with confirmatory factor analysis, the model was confirmed. Convergent and discriminant validity analyses supported the construct validity of the scale.

Conclusion

It is important to enjoy learning a foreign language and to know how much students enjoy it. The Turkish short version of the Foreign Language Enjoyment Scale is a practical, valid and reliable measurement tool that can be easily applied to students and does not take much of their time.