Global Foreign Language Confidence: Cross-Cultural Validation and Factor Structure Revision from a World Englishes Perspective

Abstract

Özet Küresel iletişim çağında, Yabancı Dil Güveninin (Foreign Language Confidence, FLC) geleneksel ana dili konuşuru normlarının ötesinde kuramsallaştırılması gerekmektedir. Dünya İngilizceleri yaklaşımından beslenen Liu’nun (2024) Yabancı Dil Güveni Ölçeği (Foreign Language Confidence Scale, FLCS) başlangıçta üç faktörlü bir yapı önermiştir: Yabancı Dil Yeterliği, Dilsel Güvenlik Duygusu ve Dilsel Aidiyet Duygusu. Ancak bu ölçeğin geçerleme çalışması yalnızca Çinli İngilizceyi yabancı dil olarak öğrenenlerle sınırlı kalmış, bu da ölçeğin kültürlerarası genellenebilirliğini sınırlandırmıştır. Bu çalışma, Türkiye’deki bir üniversitede İngilizceyi ortak iletişim dili (English as a Lingua Franca, ELF) olarak kullanan 360 uluslararası öğrenci arasında 16 maddelik FLCS’nin faktör yapısını ve ölçme değişmezliğini incelemektedir. Doğrulayıcı faktör analizi, özgün üç faktörlü modeli desteklememiştir. Yeterlik ile Güvenlik arasındaki yüksek korelasyon, bu çok dilli bağlamda bu boyutların birbirinden ayırt edilemediğini göstermiştir. Buna bağlı olarak, Yeterlik ile Güvenliğin tek bir “Pragmatik Güven” faktöründe birleştiği, buna karşılık Dilsel Aidiyetin ayrı bir boyut olarak korunduğu daha yalın iki faktörlü bir model oluşturulmuştur. Gözden geçirilen model, uyum indeksleri ve güçlü iç tutarlılık değerleri göstermiştir. Çok gruplu analizler; cinsiyet, yaş, uyruk ve üniversitede kalış süresi açısından yapılandırımsal, metrik ve skaler değişmezliği ortaya koymuş; ancak önceki İngilizce öğrenim süresi bakımından tam skaler değişmezlik sağlanamamıştır. Bu bulgular, FLCS’nin psikometrik geçerliliğini ve bağlamsal uyarlanabilirliğini desteklemekte; aynı zamanda ELF bağlamlarında pragmatik güvenin bütünleşik bir yapı olarak öne çıktığını göstermektedir.

Keywords

• Foreign language confidence
• Global foreign language confidence
• World Englishes factor structure
• Measurement invariance
• Cross-cultural validation

Supporting Institution

yok

Project Number

none

Ethical Statement

Makale için Ondokuz Mayıs Üniversitesinin 28.03.2025 tarih ve 2025-387 sayılı Etik Kurul Onay Belgesi bulunmaktadır.

Thanks

Ondokuz Mayıs Üniversitesi Uluslararası Öğrenci İşleri Birimine veri toplama sürecinde gösterdiği katkı ve nezaket için teşekkür ederiz

Global Foreign Language Confidence: Cross-Cultural Validation and Factor Structure Revision from a World Englishes Perspective

Abstract

Abstract In an era of global communication, Foreign Language Confidence (FLC) needs to be theorised beyond traditional native-speaker norms. Liu’s (2024) Foreign Language Confidence Scale (FLCS), informed by World Englishes, originally proposed a three-factor structure: Foreign Language Competence, Sense of Linguistic Security, and Sense of Linguistic Ownership. However, its validation was restricted to Chinese EFL learners, limiting its cross-cultural generalisability. This study investigates the factor structure and measurement invariance of the 16-item FLCS among 360 international students using English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) at a Turkish university. Confirmatory factor analysis did not support the original three-factor model. A high correlation between Competence and Security indicated that these dimensions were indistinguishable in this multilingual context. Accordingly, a more parsimonious two-factor model was specified, in which Competence and Security merge into a single “Pragmatic Confidence” factor, while Linguistic Ownership remains distinct. The revised model showed fit indices and strong internal consistency. Multi-group analyses demonstrated configural, metric, and scalar invariance across gender, age, nationality, and length of university stay, but not full scalar invariance for duration of prior English learning. These findings support the psychometric validity and contextual adaptability of the FLCS, while highlighting pragmatic confidence as a unified construct in ELF settings.

Keywords

• Foreign Language Confidence
• Global Foreign Language Confidence
• World Englishes Factor Structure
• Measurement Invarience
• Cross-cultural validation

Supporting Institution

none

Project Number

none

Ethical Statement

At the meeting numbered 3, dated 28.03.2025, the necessary permissions were granted by the Ondokuz Mayıs University Social and Human Sciences Ethics Committee with decision number 2025-387.

Thanks

We would like to thank the Ondokuz Mayıs University International Student Affairs Unit for their contribution and courtesy during the data collection process.

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