AbstractThis three‐phase study utilized item response theory (IRT) and both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (EFA and CFA) approaches to validate the short‐form foreign language classroom anxiety scale (S‐FLCAS) for measuring Chinese college students' foreign language classroom anxiety (FLCA). The sample consisted of 855 Chinese college students. Phase 1 was conducted within the EFA and CFA frameworks to investigate the construct validity of the S‐FLCAS. Phase 2 was conducted within IRT frameworks to assess the reliability of this scale. Lastly, Phase 3 adopted multi‐group confirmatory factor analysis (MGCFA) to explore the measurement invariance across gender and second language (L2) learner groups. The findings revealed that the Chinese version of S‐FLCAS is a reliable and valid instrument, exhibiting unidimensional characteristics. Configural, metric, and scalar invariance were identified across gender groups, while configural, partial metric, and partial scalar invariance were observed across L2 groups. This study further discussed the reasons for some suboptimal performance of the S‐FLCAS and practical implications for researchers and university educators.