TITLE:
The Arabic Learning Motivation Questionnaire: Development of a New Japanese Measure Based on Self-Determination Theory
AUTHORS:
Katsunori Sumi, Akiko M. Sumi
KEYWORDS:
Arabic Learning, Motivation, Japanese Measure, Self-Determination Theory, Japanese Learners of Arabic
JOURNAL NAME:
Psychology,
Vol.10 No.16,
December
30,
2019
ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to develop a new measure of motivation for Arabic learning, called the Arabic Learning Motivation Questionnaire (ALMQ), based on the self-determination theory. The ALMQ was constructed based on the Academic Motivation Questionnaire, which is a measure of academic motivation in Japanese university students, and has 15 items. The reliability and construct validity of the ALMQ were examined in a sample of 448 Japanese university students, who learn Arabic, but are not Arabic majors. Both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the items fully supported the five subscale structure corresponding to the different forms of motivation that were proposed by self-determination theory: amotivation, external regulation, introjected regulation, identified regulation, and intrinsic motivation. Internal consistency reliabilities of the subscales were excellent (αs = 0.86 to 0.90). The test-retest reliability over four weeks was also adequate for a sub-sample of 214 participants (rs = 0.69 to 0.79). The construct validity for the ALMQ was supported by relationships to subjective learning outcomes and the Simplex structure between the ALMQ subscales. As expected, the relationships with subjective learning outcomes and forms of motivation varied depending on the degree of self-determination. In addition, correlational patterns between the subscale scores showed the theoretically expected simplex structure. The ALMQ is expected to be utilized as a suitable measure for understanding the motivations of Japanese learners of Arabic.