Development and Validation of the Second or Foreign Language Boredom Coping Strategies Scale

In the present study, we developed and tested the psychometric properties of the Second or Foreign Language Boredom Coping Strategies Scale, an instrument for measuring language learners’ coping strategies in response to the experience of boredom. The research is based on a four-dimensional model of coping mechanisms, which includes the behavioral approach, cognitive approach, behavioral avoidance, and cognitive avoidance. Each factor comprises three subcomponents, which delineate the diverse strategies learners adopt to mitigate boredom in language learning contexts. The scale was tested using a sample of 363 learners of English as a foreign language at the tertiary level. The factorial structure was analyzed through confirmatory factor analysis and exploratory structural equation modeling to verify the construct validity of the measurement model and to evaluate the associations between latent variables. The findings demonstrated that the Second or Foreign Language Boredom Coping Strategies Scale effectively captures distinct ways of coping with boredom, offering valuable insights into how students respond to this emotion in language learning contexts. The Second or Foreign Language Boredom Coping Strategies Scale also demonstrated various significant associations with positive and negative language learning emotions (i.e., anxiety, boredom, and enjoyment), grit, and language achievement. The analysis also confirmed measurement invariance across gender and showed no evidence of differential item functioning across self-reported language proficiency levels, providing further support for the psychometric robustness of the Second or Foreign Language Boredom Coping Strategies Scale.