What is The Relationship between Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation in a Group Role-Play Assessment?

Abstract

learners’ engagement, persistence, and achievement. According to Self-Determination Theory (SDT), motivation is typically categorised as intrinsic, which is driven by personal interest and enjoyment, or extrinsic, which is driven by external rewards and outcomes. Although both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation are commonly observed in language classrooms, previous research has primarily investigated them as separate constructs, paying little attention to their involvement in communicative and cooperative tasks such as group role-play. Hence, this quantitative study examined the relationship between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation in a group role-play assessment. An adaptation of a 5-point Likert scale survey from Studnicka (2023) and Bateman et al. (2002), which comprised 35 items that measured both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, was used to collect data. The survey was administered to 147 undergraduate students studying French in Malaysia. The findings indicated that learners had consistent positive perceptions towards both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, with all items recording mean scores above 4.0. While the consistently high mean scores suggest strong motivational perceptions, this pattern may also indicate a potential ceiling effect within the measurement scale. The findings also revealed a significant positive relationship between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, with no significant differences across clusters. Overall, these results highlight the supportive relationship of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in collaborative language-learning tasks and highlight the importance of role-play activities in fostering sustained learner involvement in foreign language classrooms. by shaping learners’ engagement, persistence, and achievement in classroom activities. According to Self-Determination Theory, motivation is typically categorised as intrinsic, which is driven by personal interest and enjoyment, or extrinsic, which is driven by external rewards and outcomes. Although both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation are commonly observed in language classrooms, previous research has primarily investigated them as separate constructs, paying little attention to their involvement in communicative and cooperative tasks such as group role-play. Hence, this quantitative study examined the relationship between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation in a group role-play assessment. An adaptation of a 5-point Likert scale survey from Studnicka (2023) and Bateman et al. (2002), which comprised 35 items that measured both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, was used to collect data. The survey was administered to 147 undergraduate students studying French in Malaysia. The findings indicated that learners had consistent positive perceptions towards both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, with all items recording mean scores above 4.0. While the consistently high mean scores suggest strong motivational perceptions, this pattern may also indicate a potential ceiling effect within the measurement scale. The findings also revealed a significant positive relationship between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, with no significant differences across clusters. Overall, these results highlight the supportive relationship of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in collaborative language-learning tasks and highlight the importance of role-play activities in fostering sustained learner involvement in foreign language classrooms.