Engagement Among Malaysian Public University Learners Of Mandarin As A Foreign Language: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis Of Engagement Scale

When imagining the ideal classroom, most teachers strive for engagement. To know if learners are engaged in their learning, teachers need to know if the learners get on with their tasks, be attentive in class, complete their assignments and actively participate in class activities. In contrast, learners feel relaxed and energetic and enjoy learning. Numerous theoretical models of engagement suggest that it is important in education and second languages but has limited adoption in foreign language learning, especially Mandarin as a foreign language. This study aims to analyse the psychometric properties of the Mandarin Foreign Language Engagement scale. A random sample of 614 individuals from selected public universities in Malaysia was used for the study. The 14 items of the Mandarin Foreign Language Engagement Scale (MFLES) factor structure was adopted from previous studies and analysed using confirmatory factor analysis. The study found that the MFLES has good psychometric properties.