Intrinsic Writing Motivation and English Academic Performance of Grade-8 Students
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Background and Aim: Although numerous studies have been conducted on academic motivation, there is still a lack of research on the relationship between intrinsic writing motivation, specifically in terms of self-actualization and self-determination, and English academic performance among Filipino Junior High School students. This study was based on the Self-Determination Theory (SDT), and it aimed to investigate the extent of intrinsic writing motivation and its correlation with the English academic performance of Grade 8 students.
Materials and Methods: The study used a quantitative descriptive-correlational research design to examine the relationship between intrinsic writing motivation and English academic performance. Data were collected from 109 Grade 8 students using an adapted version of the Academic Writing Motivation Questionnaire developed by Ashley R. Payne. The instrument consisted of 16 items designed to measure two dimensions of intrinsic writing motivation, namely self-actualization and self-determination. Academic performance was measured by the final English grades of students. The adapted questionnaire was expert-validated and found to have an acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = .89). The level of motivation and performance was calculated using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation), and Pearson correlation was applied to determine the relationship between variables with a level of significance of 0.05.
Results: Findings revealed very high levels of Self-actualization (M = 3.30, SD = 0.35) and Self-determination (M = 3.37, SD = 0.34). The students’ performance in English academics was at a very satisfactory to outstanding level. Moreover, it was found that there was a statistically significant yet weak positive correlation between overall intrinsic writing motivation and English academic performance (r = .217, p = .024).
Conclusion: The results are aligned with the S.D.T. theory, as it has been found that intrinsic writing motivation is positively related to English academic achievement, albeit this relationship is small, which implies that other academic and contextual factors also contribute to English achievement.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright and License
Copyright of all articles published in the Journal of Education and Learning Reviews (JELR) is retained by the author(s).
All articles are distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). Users may read, download, copy, distribute, and share the content for non-commercial purposes with proper attribution.
Modification, adaptation, or commercial use of the content is not permitted.
License details: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
References
Alzubi, A. A. F., & Nazim, M. (2024). Students' intrinsic motivation in EFL academic writing: Topic-based interest in focus. Heliyon, 10(1), e24169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e24169
Payne, A. R. (2012). Development of the Academic Writing Motivation Questionnaire (Master’s thesis, University of Georgia). University of Georgia Electronic Theses and Dissertations. https://getd.libs.uga.edu/pdfs/payne_ashley_r201212_ma.pdf
Camacho, A., Alves, R. A., & Boscolo, P. (2023). Students' writing motivation and its relationship with writing performance. Reading and Writing, 36(4), 1101–1125. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-022-10350-3
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Dörnyei, Z. (2021). Motivational strategies in the language classroom (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Alrabai, F. (2022). Motivation and second language learning: A review of research and implications for classroom practice. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 3, 100143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2022.100143
Fraenkel, J. R., Wallen, N. E., & Hyun, H. H. (2019). How to design and evaluate research in education (10th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
Graham, S. (2023). The role of writing motivation in students' literacy development. Educational Psychologist, 58(2), 75–89. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2023.2174586
Howard, J. L., Bureau, J. S., Guay, F., Chong, J. X. Y., & Ryan, R. M. (2021). Student motivation and associated outcomes: A meta-analysis from self-determination theory. Psychological Bulletin, 147(12), 1308–1367. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000349
Lee, E., & Hannafin, M. (2021). A design framework for enhancing engagement in student-centered learning: Own it, learn it, and share it. Educational Technology Research and Development, 69(1), 401–427. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-020-09837-2
Li, Q., Yao, Y., & Zhu, X. (2024). The association between writing motivation and performance among primary school students: Considering the role of self-efficacy. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 11, 1722. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-04298-2
Payne, A. R. (2012). Development of the Academic Writing Motivation Questionnaire (Master’s thesis, University of Georgia). University of Georgia Libraries. https://getd.libs.uga.edu/pdfs/payne_ashley_r201212_ma.pdf
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. Guilford Press.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2020). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation from a self-determination theory perspective: Definitions, theory, practices, and future directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 61, 101860. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2020.101860
Schober, M., Wagner, P., & Lüdtke, O. (2022). The role of motivation in students' academic engagement and achievement. Learning and Instruction, 80, 101620. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2022.101620
Troia, G. A., Shankland, R. K., & Wolbers, K. A. (2022). Motivation and engagement in writing instruction. Journal of Educational Psychology, 114(6), 1245–1262. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000706
United Nations. (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda
Wang, H., & Troia, G. A. (2023). How students' writing motivation, teachers' personal and professional attributes, and writing instruction impact student writing achievement: A two-level hierarchical linear modeling study. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1213929. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1213929
Xu, J., Zhang, Q., & Li, Y. (2024). Classroom anxiety, learning motivation, and English achievement of college students: The mediating role of self-efficacy. Acta Psychologica, 242, 104550. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104550
Zhang, Y., Zhang, L. J., & Graham, S. (2024). Students' motivation and writing performance in secondary education: The mediating role of engagement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 116(1), 45–60. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000795
