The validation of Horwitz’s (1987) beliefs about language learning inventory to survey Chinese mainland college students’ beliefs about learning English as a second language

This study aimed at establishing, through reviewing and comparing, the construct validity of Horwitz’s (1987) inventory surveying students’ beliefs about second language learning (ESL BALLI) in the context of mainland China. The inventory was translated into Chinese, reviewed, and revised where necessary. Based on a convenience sample of 192 tertiary-level college students, the initial exploratory and subsequent confirmatory factor analyses proved that the four-factor inventory, with 15 items that survived rigorous statistical examination, has valid constructs and internal consistency. It is hoped that the robust factor analysis techniques would ensure the legitimacy of the adapted inventory, which will be used to examine the patterns of Chinese mainland college students’ beliefs about learning English as a second language. A comparison between the group of Chinese learners and learners from other origins, i.e., the English native learners, will shed light on the path of English education worldwide, or in a greater extend, lead to the educational development internationally. Copyright © 1989-2015 by the CESHK.