Exploring the Language Learning Beliefs of Thai Junior High School Students in Chinese Learning: A BALLI-Based Study

Abstract

The development of the BALLI scale and the five-factor model by Horwtiz has led to a surge in research on language learning beliefs. The present research explored the language learning beliefs of 300 junior high school students from three schools located in the Bangna region of Bangkok as they learned Chinese, utilizing the BALLI scale. Using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), the researchers attempted to fit Horwtiz's five-factor model to the data, but this model did not receive sufficient support. Therefore, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was employed to analyze the factor structure, resulting in the identification of five dimensions. However, the items included in these dimensions were considerably different from those in Horwtiz's five-factor model. As a result, a new measurement model was proposed for this study. Following this, the researcher conducted a CFA to assess the appropriateness of the newly proposed measurement model, and the findings suggested that the data matched the model effectively.