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Journal of Language Teaching and Learning,
Linguistics and Literature
ISSN 2338-4778 (Print) Issued by English study program of IAIN Palopo
ISSN 2548-4192 (Online)
Volume 11, Number 2, December 2023
pp. 1611 - 1619

Students' Motivation in Learning English

in Indonesia: A Critical Review
Lilis Suryani1, Widhiyanto2
[email protected], [email protected]
1Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, IKIP Siliwangi, Cimahi, West Java

2Ilmu Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Central Java

Received: 2023-10-29 Accepted: 2023-12-30

DOI: 10.24256/ideas.v11i2.4392

Abstract
Teaching English as a foreign language in Indonesia has grown significantly. English is
a prominent discipline at the university level. University students face problems in
learning English. Some factors influence the success of learning, and one of them is
motivation. Motivation is essential in education, and some research has investigated it.
The study has shown that motivation is divided into intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
Hence, this paper aims to critically review students ‘motivation in learning English in
higher education in Indonesia. Four articles related to students' motivation were
reviewed based on some steps: identifying the topic, the purpose of the study,
determining resources, choosing the articles, reviewing the articles, and writing the
summary. The results showed that every article found two types of motivation: intrinsic
and extrinsic. The student's motivation at each university is different; it can be seen that
the result of motivation is different. The most dominant motivation from the four
articles is extrinsic motivation. The students’ external factors significantly impact
learning. Besides, intrinsic motivation plays important factor too, and it has a good
impact on learning. Therefore, identifying the student’s motivation can help the teacher
design the teaching method to make successful learning.

Keywords: motivation, students, TEFL.

Introduction
English is recognized as an essential language in Indonesia. English is taught and
utilized as a foreign language in Indonesia (Lie, 2017, as cited in Kustyasari, 2014).
Teaching English as a foreign language in Indonesia has grown significantly. According
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Students' Motivation in Learning English in Indonesia: A Critical Review

to Harmer (2008), the term English as a foreign language refers to the learning of
English by students to use it to communicate with other English speakers worldwide.
English has become a prominent means of communication worldwide and is widely
recognized as the primary medium for business and academic reasons. English is
neither utilized in everyday life nor formal settings. Most English as a Foreign
Language (EFL) learners acquires the target language within the educational
environment as part of their curriculum (Muslem, 2021). Therefore, the English
classroom has become crucial for students to develop and learn English.
English plays a significant subject at the university level. All higher education
study programs must include English subjects in the first and second semesters,
regardless of the subject being studied (Susanto & Malik, 2020). It is supported by
Munadzdzofah (2017) that the significance of attaining proficiency in the English
language at the tertiary level in Indonesia is a fundamental prerequisite for academic
success starting from the fundamental stage. Therefore, English has become a
compulsory subject in higher education, including general subjects. The students
must take English subjects in the first or second semester to learn English, which is
considered an essential university subject and is also expected to give students good
English proficiency.
Students have learned English for several years and faced some challenges.
Numerous efforts and resources have been invested to support English education
programs in Indonesia (Gultom, 2015). Nevertheless, despite studying English for
several, there is still a lack of students who can communicate in basic English
(Mattarima & Hamdan, 2011). It is supported by Susanto and Malik (2020) that
difficulties in acquiring English language skills are not limited to primary, secondary,
and higher education levels but also continue at the tertiary level. Many students
struggle with essential communication, a problem that persists at all levels, including
primary, secondary, and tertiary education. Therefore, identifying issues of learning
English can be one of the solutions to a better teaching and learning process in the
classroom.
The success of learning is determined by motivation. Harmer (2001) defines
motivation as a crucial element in the learning and teaching process, referring to the
impulse that drives individuals to take action in pursuit of a specific goal. Ebata (2008),
as cited in Janah et al. (2021), revealed that motivation plays a crucial role in language
learning, and it has a sense of optimism in language learners regarding their learning
progress. The students also strongly desire individuals to obtain proficiency in
learning a language, derive pleasure from the learning process, and engage in
meaningful conversation. As stated by McDonald (2016), as cited in Uddiniyah and
Silfia (2019), motivation refers to a shift in a person's energy levels marked by the
formation of emotional experiences and a response to the presence of a specific
objective that triggers it. Therefore, motivation is essential to learning and teaching
because it drives students to achieve their goals. It gives language learners hope, helps
them improve, and makes conversation more critical. Motivation is affected by
changes in their emotions, energy levels, and reactions to a specific goal.

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ISSN 2548-4192 (Online)

Motivation is divided into two parts: the first is intrinsic motivation, and the
second is extrinsic motivation. Some experts defined types of motivation (Harmer
(2001), as cited in Thohir (2017); Borah, 2021). Intrinsic motivation refers to the
internal drive that originates within an individual. This type of motivation can stem
from the pleasure derived from the learning process or the aspiration to improve one's
well-being. Borah (2021) states that intrinsic motivation refers to engaging in
behaviour due to its inherent satisfaction rather than being driven by the desire for
external rewards. For instance, the students engage in an English course due to their
enjoyment and enthusiasm for the challenge.
In contrast, extrinsic motivation refers to the drive that originates from external
sources, such as the desire to succeed in an exam, the expectation of financial
compensation, or the opportunity for future travel. Extrinsic motivation pertains to
situations in which an individual is driven to engage in a particular behaviour to
obtain rewards, commendations, grades, or similar incentives. In addition,
extrinsically motivated people act and engage in activities because they believe their
contribution will result in a desirable outcome and avoidance of punishment (Harmer
(2001), as cited in Thohir (2017); Borah, 2021; Syuhada et al., 2021). In other words,
students may, for instance, participate in a subject to win awards or study solely to
earn a good grade.
Students' motivation can trigger their efforts to achieve learning goals. Some
experts have already investigated the students' motivation to learn English (Fachraini,
2017; Budiana & Djuwari, 2018; Susanto et al., 2018; Budiharto & Amalia, 2019;
Jannah et al., 2021; Pranawengtias, 2022). Motivation has become crucial for students
to determine their success in learning. Fachraini (2021) found that students had a
greater tendency towards internal motivation than external motivation when learning
English. Students' intrinsic motivation exceeded the extrinsic motivation they
received. Budiana and Djuwari (2018) said that the student's motivation to learn
English as a foreign language is influenced by various factors, including the local
education system, views towards the target language, and the role of the teacher.
Therefore, the teacher is essential in triggering the students' motivation to learn
English.
Teachers play an essential role in increasing the students' motivation. Harmer
(2001) mentions three areas that can influence the students' motivation: learning
goals, a learning environment, and an exciting class. Goals of education mean the
students know about the long-term and short-term goals in their teaching. The
teacher can provide a learning environment with an attractive classroom and a good
atmosphere. These situations are expected to trigger students' motivation. The
teacher also has to give a variety of exercises and activities to make the students
interested in learning. Therefore, the teacher should set up a well-organized
classroom with various tasks and activities to engage students in learning.
Due to the student's motivation to learn English, this research would like to
analyze some articles related to students' motivation in teaching English as a foreign
language in Indonesia. This research aims to critically review students' motivation in

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Students' Motivation in Learning English in Indonesia: A Critical Review

Indonesia to have an overview of English learning based on an analysis of students'

motivation.

Method
A literature review method was used in this study to examine the students'
motivation to learn English in Indonesia. The literature review is an academic article
summarising existing knowledge on a specific subject. This includes significant
discoveries, theoretical advancements, and methodological contributions within a
field or issue (Newman & Gough, 2020, as cited in Janah et al., 2022). The data were
taken from four different journals; then, data were analysed by following steps:
identifying the topic, the purpose of the study, determining resources, choosing the
articles, reviewing the articles, and writing the summary of articles based on the
supporting theory Gunalan, et al. (2023). The detailed articles are displayed below.

Table 1 Articles Used as Resources of Journals

No Resources Indexing
1 Budiana and Djuwari (2018) SINTA 3, Google
Language CIRCLE Scholar, Garuda
2 Budiharto and Amalia SINTA 4, Google
(2019) Scholar, DOAJ
IDEAS: Journal of Langauge
Teaching and Learning,
Linguistics and Literature
3 Husna and Murtini (2019) SINTA 4, Google
English Education: Journal of Scholar, Garuda
English Teaching and
Research
4 Pranawengtias (2022) SINTA 3, Google
Journal of English Scholar, Garuda
Language Teaching and
Linguistics

Based on Table 1, the researcher chose the topic of students’ motivation in

learning English as a foreign language; then, she decided on the research objectives.
She chose articles from 2018-2022 about students' motivation as source data. Articles
were critically reviewed and evaluated on how students’ basis in learning English as
a foreign language in Indonesia. The researcher did the last review; then, she provided
judgments based on the findings or conclusions and the theory that supported them.

Findings and Discussions

This part covers the motivation of students in Indonesia to acquire English as a

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ISSN 2338-4778 (Print)
ISSN 2548-4192 (Online)

foreign language, based on four reviews of articles. Four articles were examined to
know the students’ motivation and types of motivation. From those articles, there are
different results of students’ motivation. The following table illustrates the mapping
of students’ motivation based on intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in learning English
in Indonesia.

Article Intrinsic Extrinsic Intrinsic and

Motivation Motivation Extrinsic
Motivation
First Extrinsic
Article motivation
contributed
more to the
students
learning.
Second Intrinsic
Article motivation
contributed
more to the
learning
process.
Third Extrinsic
Article motivation
has a higher
contribution
than intrinsic
motivation
Fourth Both of them
Article play a key
role in
learning

Table 2 Types of Motivation

Table 2 shows the students’ motivation in learning English in Indonesia. The

first article was conducted by Budiana & Djuwari (2018). Extrinsic and intrinsic
motivation were determined to be the primary sources of motivation used by STIE
Perbanas students to study English. Most of them (78%) said they are learning English
since it is a requirement for admission to this college. In addition, some motivational
elements influence students' motivation to study English as a foreign language,
including the teacher and educational system.

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Students' Motivation in Learning English in Indonesia: A Critical Review

The second article was conducted by Budiharto and Amalia (2019); the research
found that motivation plays a crucial role and develops into a vital motivator. Given
the significance of motivation in an educational program, it is essential to emphasize
that a learner's ability to retain information could suffer from a lack of motivation in
the classroom. The fact that most first-year students at Madura University speak
English is because they are so excited. They want to learn a goal language because they
think it will help them learn it better. It means that intrinsic motivation that affects to
their desire to learn.
The third article was conducted by Husna and Murti (2019); the findings
explained why extrinsic motivation is stronger than intrinsic motivation. Point 4.14
represents the extrinsic motivating level, and point 4.04 represents the inner
motivational level. Both motivation groups are at a high level, even though the
extrinsic motivational lever's overall score is higher than the intrinsic motivational
level. In other word, students have good motivation in learnng.
The fourth article was conducted by Pranawengtias (2022), who found that
extrinsic motivation contributed more to the students learning. It can be seen from
the result that giving rewards and punishment are dominant factors that can improve
the student's motivation in learning. The study's participants comprised thirty
Indonesian Technocrat University students, ten sports education majors, ten
mathematics education majors, and ten English education majors. The distinction
between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation for learning English is not particularly
significant, but extrinsic motivation significantly impacts learning.
Based on four articles, it can be seen that two parts can be discussed. Here is
a detailed explanation of each component.
a. Types of Motivation
According to articles, two types of motivation can be found in each article:
intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. In other words, every individual has their
motivation, which can positively impact the teaching and learning process in the
classroom. It is supported by Yuzulia (2019) and Tambunan et al. (2019) that
motivation plays a vital role in helping students achieve their learning goals.
a. The Most Dominant Motivation
The findings show that extrinsic motivation contributes more to learning English
in Indonesia. Two out of four articles mentioned that the students’ results show that
extrinsic has a higher effect than intrinsic (Uddiniyah & Silfia, 2020). It means the
students have high motivation, but it comes from external factors such as good
rewards and punishment. In other words, teachers can design a good atmosphere for
learning by providing rewards for students; it can help them learn better. Giving
punishment can be a trigger for students to have better learning. It means that the
students prepare well before learning. Besides, intrinsic motivation positively impacts
the students in achieving learning goals. It can be seen that some students learn
English because they like the subject and it is fun for them. Therefore, learning English
requires a high motivation to gain exposure to learning.

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ISSN 2338-4778 (Print)
ISSN 2548-4192 (Online)

Conclusion
Motivation has become an essential factor that influences the success of learning.
There are two types of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Every article has
different results of student motivation, but two of four articles showed that extrinsic
motivation contributes more to learning English. Some factors influence external
motivation, such as reward and punishment. Both of them have a significant impact
on how students learn English. Therefore, teachers have essential roles in designing
the class to motivate students. For further research, it is suggested to review many
articles to make a comprehensive result of students' motivation in learning English in
Indonesia.

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