Validation of Adapted Scales Assessing Affective Filter Hypothesis Among Second Language Chinese Learners

Authors

  • Wenting Bao

    Faculty of Education, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia

    School of Humanities and International Education Exchange, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230012, China
  • Farrah Dina Yusop

    Faculty of Education, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i7.9948
Received: 10 May 2025 | Revised: 12 June 2025 | Accepted: 17 June 2025 | Published Online: 10 July 2025

Abstract

Affective factors, including anxiety, motivation, and self-confidence, significantly influence second language acquisition (SLA), yet existing measurement tools often lack cultural and linguistic specificity for non-English contexts. This study adapted and validated three scales, which are Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety Scale, Attitude and Motivation Test Battery (AMTB) Scale, and Foreign Language Self-Esteem Scale, under Krashen’s Affective Filter Hypothesis for international students learning Chinese speaking in China. Through a multi-stage process, including scale modification, back-translation, expert opinions, and pilot testing, the revised instruments demonstrated strong psychometric properties. Expert content validity assessments yielded CVIs above 0.7, and reliability analyses run in IBM SPSS Statistics 26 produced Cronbach’s α values above 0.8. Key modifications included removing redundant statements and localizing linguistic references to align with Chinese speaking contexts. The results validate the applicability of the Affective Filter Hypothesis to Chinese SLA, highlighting the necessity of culturally adapted tools to assess affective barriers and facilitators. The findings confirm that the adapted questionnaires effectively capture the key affective factors based on the Affective Filter Hypothesis in Chinese speaking settings. Researchers can employ these scales to further investigate affective influences on SLA, and educators can use the findings to tailor Chinese speaking instruction, foster higher motivation, bolster self-confidence, and reduce anxiety in the classroom.

Keywords:

Affective Factor; Chinese Language Learning; Language Anxiety; Scale Validation; Second Language Acquisition]

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How to Cite

Bao, W., & Yusop, F. D. (2025). Validation of Adapted Scales Assessing Affective Filter Hypothesis Among Second Language Chinese Learners. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 7(7), 158–173. https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i7.9948

Issue

Vol. 7 , Iss. 7 (July 2025): In progress

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Article

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Copyright © 2025 Wenting Bao, Farrah Dina Yusop

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This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.