Investigating Intrinsic and Extrinsic Factors Influencing English Self-Learning Motivation Among Indonesian University Students

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33394/jo-elt.v12i1.15386

Keywords:

Self-Learning Motivation, English Proficiency, Intrinsic and Extrinsic Factors

Abstract

English has been widely known as a global lingua franca. By mastering English, it enables students to build good communication on a global scale and assists them to express their interests in many sectors such as economy, politics, culture, and education (Pennycook, 2025). These interests definitely influence students’ motivation in studying English. Therefore, this research aimed to investigate the discourse of students’ self-learning motivation in English by exploring both motivational factors, i.e., intrinsic and extrinsic factors. In doing this scientific work, the researchers applied Cresswell's (2016) convergent parallel mixed-method design that variedly provided both qualitative and quantitative data. With these various data, it helped the readers to comprehend the research explanation. The results demonstrated that both intrinsic and extrinsic factors have contributive aspects in maintaining students’ motivation in English learning. For instance, for the intrinsic factors, 60% of students are motivated to study English to gain a job, while self-confidence development and the pursuit of gaining a good academic score are equally 20%. In addition, the extrinsic factors consist of several conditions, i.e., educational (i.e., provided material with 13.3% voters and technological devices (TD) as learning facilities with 73.3% voters) and social (family support with 13.3% voters) conditions. Although intrinsic factors (66.7%) exert a more significant influence than extrinsic factors (33.3%), it is undeniable that both substantially impact students' self-learning motivation in English. Therefore, by investigating both of these factors, the researchers expected that it would help the educators to design the effective teaching curriculum in the English course.

Author Biographies

Andi Farid Baharuddin, Universitas Sawerigading Makassar

Assistant Professor and Lecturer in English Literature

Dwi Rezki Hardianto Putra Rustan, Universitas Terbuka

Assistant Professor and Lecturer in English Literature

References

Almayez, M. A., Al-khresheh, M. H., AL-Qadri, A. H., Alkhateeb, I. A., & Alomaim, T. I. M. (2025). Motivation and English Self-Efficacy in Online Learning Applications among Saudi EFL Learners: Exploring the Mediating Role of Self-regulated Learning Strategies. Acta Psychologica, 254(October), 104796. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.104796

Baharuddin, A. F. (2023). Pembelajaran Bahasa, Sastra Kiri, dan Neoliberalisme. In Sastra dan Identitas Budaya: Menggali Kearifan Lokal Melalui Karya-karya Sastra (1st ed., pp. 91–110). PENERBIT INTELEKTUAL MANIFES MEDIA. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/j37sm

Baharuddin, A. F., Nur, S., & Isma, A. (2022). Teaching Strategy in Enriching the EFL Students' Vocabulary through Literature. LLT Journal: A Journal on Language and Language Learning, 25(1), 250–262. https://doi.org/10.24071/llt.v25i1.4105

Bahous, R., Bacha, N., & Nabhani, M. (2011). Motivating Students in the EFL Classroom: A Case Study of Perspectives. English Language Teaching, 4(3), 33–43. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v4n3p33

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2012). Thematic analysis. APA Handbook of Research Methods in Psychology, Vol 2: Research Designs: Quantitative, Qualitative, Neuropsychological, and Biological., 2, 57–71. https://doi.org/10.1037/13620-004

Cornillie, F., Thorne, S. L., & Desmet, P. (2012). ReCALL special issue: Digital games for language learning: Challenges and opportunities. ReCALL, 24(3), 243–256. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0958344012000134

Cresswell, J. W. (2016). Research Design: Quantitateive, Qualitative, and Mix Method Approach (V. Knight (ed.); 4th Editio). Sage Publication Inc.

Getie, A. S. (2020). Factors affecting the attitudes of students towards learning English as a foreign language. Cogent Education, 7(1), 1--37. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2020.1738184

Golzar, J., & Noor, S. (2022). Defining Convenience Sampling in a Scientific Research. International Journal of Education and Language Studies, 1(November), 72–77.

Lamb, M. (2007). The impact of school on EFL learning motivation: An indonesian case study. TESOL Quarterly, 41(4), 757–780. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1545-7249.2007.tb00102.x

Mardiani, & Baharuddin, A. F. (2023). Literature-based EFL Instruction: Benefits for Language Skills Development, Learning Motivation, and Culutral Understanding. LLT Journal: A Journal on Language and Language Learning, 26(2), 796–181. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.24071/llt.v26i2.6366

Margalit, M. (2004). Second-Generation Research on Resilience: Social-Emotional Aspects of Children with Learning Disabilities. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 19(1), 45–48.

Maslow, A. H. (1943). A Theory of Human Motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370–396.

Matthews, K. E., & Liang, Y. (2021). Students as partners practices and theorisations in Asia: a scoping review. Higher Education Research & Development, 40(3), 522–566. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2020.1773771

Mifsud, C. L., Georgieva, R., & Kucirkova, N. (2021). Parent-child joint reading of digital books in bilingual families in Malta. International Journal of Educational Research, 109(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2021.101844

Nation, I., & Mecalister, J. (2010). Language Curriculum Design (1st ed.). Taylor & Francis e-Library.

Nunan, D. (2011). Teaching English to Young Learners (1st ed.). Anaheim University Press.

Sarıçoban, A., & Metin, E. (2000). Songs, verse and games for teaching grammar. The Internet TESL Journal, 6(10), 1–7.

Sipe, M. D., Malaluan, N. E., Gayeta, N. E., Zimik, H. R., & Javier, M. (2024). Integration of ELT strategies in science classrooms: Asian university teachers and students’ perspectives. Heliyon, 10(7), e27349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e27349

Tseng, Y.-H. (2025). Motivating Rural EFL Students in Multimodal Teaching. Linguistics and Education, 87(Juni), 101425. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2025.101425

Wesenberg, L., Jansen, S., Krieglstein, F., Schneider, S., & Rey, G. D. (2025). The Influence of Seductive Details in Learning Environments with Low and High extrinsic Motivation. Learning and Instruction, 96(November), 15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2024.102054

Downloads

Published

2025-06-26

How to Cite

Baharuddin, A. F., & Rustan, D. R. H. P. (2025). Investigating Intrinsic and Extrinsic Factors Influencing English Self-Learning Motivation Among Indonesian University Students. Jo-ELT (Journal of English Language Teaching) Fakultas Pendidikan Bahasa & Seni Prodi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris IKIP, 12(1), 103–116. https://doi.org/10.33394/jo-elt.v12i1.15386

Issue

Vol. 12 No. 1 (2025)

Section

Articles

Citation Check

License

License and Publishing Agreement
In submitting the manuscript to the journal, the authors certify that:

  • They are authorized by their co-authors to enter into these arrangements.
  • The work described has not been formally published before, except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture, review, thesis, or overlay journal.
  • That it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere,
  • That its publication has been approved by all the author(s) and by the responsible authorities “tacitly or explicitly“ of the institutes where the work has been carried out.
  • They secure the right to reproduce any material that has already been published or copyrighted elsewhere.
  • They agree to the following license and publishing agreement.

Copyright
Authors who publish with Jo-ELT (Journal of English Language Teaching) Fakultas Pendidikan Bahasa dan Seni Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris IKIP agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY-SA 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.

Licensing for Data Publication

Jo-ELT (Journal of English Language Teaching) Fakultas Pendidikan Bahasa dan Seni Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris IKIP use a variety of waivers and licenses, that are specifically designed for and appropriate for the treatment of data:

Other data publishing licenses may be allowed as exceptions (subject to approval by the editor on a case-by-case basis) and should be justified with a written statement from the author, which will be published with the article.

 

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.