Validating and Shortening the Achievement Emotions Questionnaire (AEQ) for Measuring Positive Emotions in Foreign Language Learning and Classroom Settings

Motivated by the ‘emotional turn’ in applied linguistics and the recent introduction of positive psychology in L2 studies, the present study aimed to validate and shorten the Achievement Emotions Questionnaire (AEQ) for measuring positive emotions in foreign language learning and classroom settings. To this end, data were collected from 442 Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students from several major state universities using the adapted sub-scales of positive classroom- and learning-related emotions of the AEQ. To prepare the short version, five items with the highest factor loadings in each of the six sub-scales were retained, which resulted in a total of 30 items. A six-factor model of this short version called Foreign Language Positive Emotions Questionnaire (FL-PEQ) was corroborated, which indicated that this measure could adequately differentiate between enjoyment, hope, and pride in foreign language ‘learning’ and ‘classroom’. Additionally, internal validity, convergent validity, and discriminant validity of the FL-PEQ were confirmed.