Exploratory Factor Analysis : Blended Motivation of Malay Students Learning Mandarin as a Foreign Language

It is believed that motivation to learn a language is strongly influenced by the target language, location and the learners. Nevertheless, the questionnaires administered in the Eastern countries are usually developed in a Western context to a culturally specific context; this means the original questionnaires are adopted or adapted to suit local conditions . This study aims to identify key motivational factors for learners and affirm the suitability of a set of adapted questionnaire namely Language Learning Motivation for Mandarin (LLMM), for a survey on foreign language learning. A total of 148 Malay students at a public university in Malaysia voluntarily participated in answering the LLMM questionnaire. The completed questionnaires were used in an exploratory factor analysis procedure to identify what motivates learners of foreign language. A principal component analysis with varimax rotation obtained five-factor solution; these motivational factors are: Requirement Motivation, Interaction and Better Understanding, Interest and Pleasure, Leisure and Entertainment, and Future Career. The study concludes that blended motivation with Requirement Motivation as the most influential factor. The study also suggests that LLMM questionnaire be replicated to other Asian learners who are learning Mandarin as a foreign language. This is to ascertain its validity and applicability to the learners of Mandarin as a foreign language in the Asian context.