Validating the Japanese version of the short-form foreign language enjoyment scale

Abstract

The study of positive emotions and their influence on language learning has gained considerable attention recently, with foreign language enjoyment being one of the most-studied emotions. The Short-form Foreign Language Enjoyment Scale (S-FLES) is a popular measure of enjoyment, however, this measure has yet to be validated for use in the Japanese context. This study aimed to address this gap by comparing hierarchical and bifactor confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) models, with analogous models employing the innovative technique of exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM). Responses from 536 undergraduate EFL learners were used in the analysis of the models, with results indicating that the fit of the ESEM models were superior to that of the CFA models. The bifactor ESEM was chosen as the most suitable model of the S-FLES on the basis of its better convergent validity, divergent validity, and reliability, as well as its measurement quality. Invariance testing supported the bifactor model’s configural invariance, as well as its partial metric and scalar invariance across gender. The relationship between the bifactor model and social-behavioral engagement was evaluated as a measure of the S-FLES’s concurrent validity. The model exhibited a very strong degree of predictive power, with the general factor accounting for the greatest degree of variance in social-behavioral engagement. The bifactor model of the S-FLES was shown to be a valid and reliable measure of FLE among Japanese undergraduate EFL learners, providing further support to the use of ESEM in evaluating positive psychological instruments.